Torn
by Sgt. Socks
Summary: sequel to Together.This wasn't the way i pictured it.No one else was supposed to get hurt,yet here we stood,face to face with someone I knew with glowing red eyes and smile set on blood.I couldn't understand how this happened,not to her.
1. 01: Beginning of the New Normal

**once again, i'll post the prologue later.**

**just curious, anyone else ****_DYING_to see _The Hunger Games_? yes. this girl right here? me? I AM! Gah! March 23rd needs to GET HERE! :( I've watched all the trailers, and even though, yes, Peeta's supposed to be a little taller than Josh Hutcherson, Josh is actually how i pictured Peeta. I love their choices. so...random ranting.**

**and if you haven't read the books? I _STRONGLY_ recommend it. personal opinon? it's better than _Twilight_. If you hate me for saying that, fine, but it really is.**

**so they have been recommended. and come March 23rd, i will be unavailiable, 'cause i'll be flipping my crap all day. literally. then i have a drumline competition in another state the next day, BUT I WILL SEE IT. :) if there's a flipping midnight premiere, which there SHOULD BE, you better believe i'm there. :)**

**now, on to this...after i tell you that if you HAVE read _The Hunger Games_, i'm about to put a fanfic up for it. :D**

**but seriously. this series is very important too. :) i will continue this. promise. :) and i do hope you continue reading, even through my other series rant and super long time periods through updates...and please review. thanks! :D**

**the chapter song? I LOVE IT. :D it cracks me up, too. it seems so happy, but if you listen to it, it's like, "Oh. Wow. Ouch." bahaha. XD**

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><p><strong>01. Five Years: Tonight Alive<strong>

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><p><em>I think we're heading up there soon—Spring Break, ya know.<em>

I was a little leery as I read the text message from Brynk that March Monday, uncertain how I wanted to respond. Of course I wanted them to come up here, especially considering that it was the same time I was possibly getting married. That was something that was still yet to be determined, and I couldn't believe we were still having this argument.

Does it not make more sense to get married in _June_, after school is said and done? It makes _way _more sense to me.

Anyways, Brynk's wording was a little odd. She normally would've said, "We're coming up there soon." No explanation. Something was on her mind, though, and she needed an excuse to come up here.

I showed Edward the text and began running my hand up my numb arm. During all the Christmas madness, I never really thought about what was numb and what wasn't, but it was now March, as I stated earlier. There was nothing left to distract me from it, nothing but wedding plans that is. Even those weren't enough to distract me.

My arms were numb, all the way to my shoulders. Both of my legs were the same way, but the strangest thing was, it wasn't numbing my insides. It only numbed the outside, so, for example, to be blunt, I would still be able to enjoy my honeymoon, and I could still feel a muscle tear. My arms, however, are starting to numb from the inside out, so I guess the rest of me will, too. Most of my skin is numb, really, but there are still places that a vampire's touch triggers in my senses.

It's a strange, complicated process. I'm just happy to be here, thanks.

_Are you okay? Need to talk about something?_

"Oh my gosh," Jessica said snidely as she sat down beside Bella at the lunch table. "Did you hear?"

Upon Angela's request, I still continued to sit with her, along with Edward and Alice, of course. Bella wasn't happy about it, but we rarely ever even acknowledged each other's presence. The guys still occasionally tried to make moves, whenever Edward happened to be away for the moment, but they were backing off a _lot_.

Did they really think they had anything to compete against _Edward _with? Really?

"What?" Bella asked curiously.

"Maria is pregnant with Connor's kid," Jessica said clearly, not trying to quiet her voice at all, before shuddering. "And to think I went out with him."

"Ew," Bella said rudely, making a face as she shook her head slowly. "That's just gross. Why would you even do that? I mean, seriously."

"You're gonna do it one day," I reminded her icily, no longer finding myself able to just sit back and listen to this. "And, besides, maybe they really love each other. You never took _that_ into consideration."

"You're standing up for her?" Bella asked doubtfully. She was looking at me with a gaze that resembled something she used to gaze at her worst enemies. Her eyes were suspicious, too, but I really didn't care. "Why?"

"I don't know," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "Uh, _maybe _because gossip is stupid, and it could really hurt someone. Have you ever heard of those people who kill themselves because what people say about them?"

"This is different," Jessica said snidely. "We're not gonna tell her. She'll never know. I mean, just look at them. Even if they _are_ in love, that's still weird. Marriage, hello?"

"Since when are _you_ a saint?" I asked curiously, crossing my arms over my chest in irritation. "Jessica, you have absolutely no right to judge either one of them, because, you're not perfect either. You don't know _why_ they did it. Even if they did it for the reasons you think, you have no room to say anything."

"You weren't even _in_ this conversation," she said. She pushed her hand up in my face before turning back to Bella.

"Put your hand in my face again, and I'll snap it," I promised. "When you're at a lunch table, anyone can join a conversation. You don't like it? Suck my non-existent dick then, 'cause I don't care."

Edward was biting his lip beside me, stifling back a laugh, and his cold hand came and rested on my right knee.

Alice had her lips pursed to stifle back a laugh, but you could look in her eyes and see she found this amusing. She knew one day it would work out between her and Bella, but while they hated each other, it was okay to find this funny.

"You're just mad because I don't talk to you anymore," Bella snorted. "Look, Mayze, grow up, okay?"

"You're telling _me _to grow up?" I asked with raised eyebrows. "Wow. Never heard anything so stupid. You're the one who doesn't talk to _me_, even when I try really hard."

Her eyes narrowed. "I have my reasons."

"Hmm," I murmured. I was stroking my imaginary beard for a second, but then, I shrugged. "Alright. Just because your boyfriend stinks doesn't mean you can hate me for mine."

She glared. "This has nothing to do with that."

"Then please," I suggested before locking her eyes in mine. Edward had taught me how to hold someone's eyes so they couldn't look away, since my eyes were changing too. I could see a little more clearly as of now, but I was still able to hold normal human's gazes. "Tell me what this whole thing is about."

"You don't listen to me," she started, but she had nothing else to say. There _was _nothing I didn't listen to her about other than all her false accusations about Edward.

"To whatever you say about Edward," I finished for her. "So, that's what this whole thing is about." I couldn't help but smile. "Bella, honestly, I love you, but, I'm not gonna cry over you. If you hate me, fine. I'll live. I have been for the past year now. I think I can pretty much say I don't need you, Bella. Maybe not talking to you doesn't work, but when I needed you, all you did was point fingers and rub it in my face. I got through without you, so that means I can get through the rest of my life the same way."

She just rolled her eyes at me before looking back to Jessica. "So, anyways, what I was telling you in Pre-Cal—"

The bell rang, which cut her off. I took my quick escape out while I could. Edward's fingers immediately interlaced with mine to give me support on the way out. He brought my hand up to his mouth and quickly kissed it before smiling down at me. "I'm proud of you. But, honestly, I don't think you should fight with Bella over me."

"It's not just over you," I assured him. "Even without you in the picture, this goes on. I really think it's mostly because she thinks she's doing the right thing, but she's too blind to just look for herself. It's got a lot to do with Jake, also. More-so than it has to do with you."

He just sighed.

"Whoopsie," I said apologetically with a sheepish grin. To try and help make it better, I kissed him softly. "Sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to bring that up. I really am sorry. I'll make it up to you somehow. I'll . . . ." I tapped my chin. "I'll . . . ."

He chuckled before putting one arm around my waist. "Baby, don't worry about it. It's not _your_ fault I left. That's all mine. And, besides." He paused when we got to the Chemistry room, a smug grin on his lips. "Saturday night was all I needed."

I felt my cheeks heating up a little, and he laughed triumphantly as his fingers began tenderly rubbing across the warmer skin. "Okay. Well, uh . . . I'm glad, but I am sorry about that. It kinda got out of control, and—"

"Mayze, stop," he insisted. "We stopped ourselves before it got way too far, and I really have to take some of the blame for that. It didn't help, like I had hoped it would. It really only made March seem that much better." Then, he frowned at me. "You're not gonna keep trying to figure out the honeymoon place, are you?"

I shook my head. "Nah. I might just torment you for fun. It's actually a lot more entertaining than you even realize."

"You know, what would you do if I ever did that to you?" he asked curiously as we finally walked through the door. Of course, he was still frowning down at me. "I think I should."

I chuckled darkly and sat down in my seat, grinning up at him. "Remember, Edward? I'm dangerous. The most dangerous thing on the planet. _I_ know how to seduce a vampire." For fun, I decided to give him my taunting smile that always drove him crazy. "And, I'd win because I may have impatient human hormones on my side, but girls are better at that than you even know. Guys, vampire or not, just don't seem to be."

He just frowned deeper, causing me to laugh at his irritated expression. It wasn't a real irritated, sorta like a playful irritated. Funny, either way.

"But," I went on. "I have to admit, I was proud of you. You did very well. That's the first time you've been able to do that. You know . . . _not _give me what I want. Good practice, though, because it won't happen again until we're married. None of it—besides kissing, of course."

"Let's get married tomorrow," he said swiftly, eyes widening in excitement. "Ooh. That sounds like a great idea."

I laughed and scrunched my nose up at him. "Nah. I was thinking maybe a year or two . . . ."

His eyes narrowed to almost slits at just the _idea _of having to wait that much longer. "I was thinking _hell_ no."

"Fine. A month?" I continued laughing, even as the bell rang to start class.

He scowled. "April. Why not March? Such a perfect month. March, March, March. That sounds better and better each time I say it. March."

I shook my head. "Sorry, babe, but I was really thinking maybe _after_ graduation. Like, honestly. I mean, why not wait until after high school?"

"But, there's also the other question," he pointed out sincerely, no longer laughing or scowling. It was all seriousness. "_Why_ wait until after high school?"

"Because," I said lightly. "I promised Charlie I would be staying home, and besides. He doesn't want me getting married until I move out. I promised him I wouldn't until I was going off to college, or off to Antarctica to keep from slaughtering the human population."

He cringed at my choice of words but sighed. "Whoo. Penguins."

I grimaced and began quickly shaking my head. "Penguins? I was thinking more along the lines of those weird things . . . walruses? Either way, they hurt all the other animals. Maybe some of those."

"They live underwater," he reminded me. "Have fun getting _that_."

"I'll swim," I offered. "I will _not_ hurt a penguin, or polar bear." Then, I frowned. "Maybe Antarctica isn't the best idea . . . ."

He shook his head. "Nah. Honestly, we'll probably go stay with the Denalis while you're getting used to things. From what Laurent says, though, you're really not going to have that much of a problem."

"Alright," Mr. Matthews, the Chemistry teacher, said loudly as he walked to the front of the room to begin the day. "Let's get started . . . ."


	2. 02: Saint Patty's Day

**so, i could go on this super huge and long spill about how terribly and deeply sorry i am for not updating in so freaking long, but i'm sure you've heard it a million times, so i'll keep it simple. truly, i am very sorry, and i will do everything in my power to make sure it doesn't happen again.**

**as far as this series goes, i've been in a slump, but i FINALLY got over it. this chapter isn't really as long as it appears, but i've got lots of motivation to finish the next chapter. therefore, it'll be up soon! this one has a mean cliff hanger. you probably won't expect what's happening. :) and if you guess it . . . props to you, my wonderful and devoted reader.**

**now, onto the chapter i've, unfortunately, made you wait months for . . . after i mention that i LOVE the new Fireflight CD, which is where this chapter's song came from. :)**

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><p>01. Five Years: Tonight Alive<strong><br>02. Stay Close: Fireflight**

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><p>The same argument continued to go on throughout the week. By Saturday night, we still hadn't decided, but I was beginning to see his side. He <em>had <em>waited over a century for this, so it wasn't really fair of me to drag it out.

I sat on the kitchen counter, pondering the new date carefully. The oven was warm beside me, but the man holding me was the polar opposite—or _should _be anyways. He actually made me warmer than the blazing inferno directly beside me, and I knew it only proved how messed up I was.

"So?" He was growing impatient and, well, horny, but all he could do was kiss my neck and think about how close his suggestion put him to the release he desired most—our honeymoon.

Where did it put it? _Two weeks from now_.

"Well . . . ." It was my intention to draw it out, to drive him crazy. Well, I say that, but in reality, I'm fairly certain he's already crazy.

Clearly, it was working. I could see by the way his eye began twitching a little. "Well?!"

"I'm thinking about . . . ." This was gonna push him over the edge for sure.

He growled darkly and began purposely trying to give me a hicky. "Mayze, you are the most evil creature this planet knows. I hope you understand this."

"I can be meaner," I reminded him.

"I don't think that's possible," he muttered against the skin of my neck.

I shrugged and began taking my shirt off. There wasn't anything he hadn't already seen anyways, but it would be even meaner. He realized what I was doing and yanked it right back down while I laughed. "It's possible, love. No, honestly, Edward, two weeks? Can Alice do it?"

"You underestimate her magic powers," he informed me. "I'm sure she would be hurt if she were here."

I scowled. "If she were here, she'd probably kill me for that. I hope she's not watching me . . . ."

"The wedding _will _have to be smaller than I originally wanted, but yes," he continued, no longer kissing me. His eyes were staring deeply into mine. "It'll only be loved ones and friends. No random people from school, and no distant family members."

I slid off the counter and out of Edward's arms. My fuzzy pajama pants helped keep me warm where he was absent, but I had to put on his black Three Days Grace hoodie he got at the concert to make up for my arm chills.

When I got to the table, I began scribbling down a list of names and addresses—the ones who needed addresses anyways. I put stars by a couple of names, the ones I had to talk to about it first.

1. Charlie  
>2. Renée<br>3. Esme  
>4. Carlisle<br>5. Embry  
>6. Emmett<br>7. Seth  
>8. Brynk<br>9. Oliver  
>10. Alice<br>11. Sapphire  
>12. Karma<br>13. Jasper  
>14. Rose<br>15. Quil  
>16. Laurent<br>17. Kate  
>18. Leah<br>19. Irina  
>20. Tanya<br>21. Carmen  
>22. Eleazar<br>23. Colin  
>24. Brady<br>25. Bella*  
>26. Jake*<br>27. Angela  
>28. Ben<p>

"Does that sound good to you?" I murmured, handing him the notebook. As he very rapidly got to the end, he began scowling.

"Jake?"

"Edward," I said quietly, sighing. "You know the reasoning behind that. He's pissing us both off, I understand, but if it weren't for him, I honestly don't know if we'd be here. I never would've even known about werewolves, which would've never led me to find out about you. You know as well as I do that if I didn't know, you never would've told me."

"Actually, Mayze, I honestly think I would have eventually," he admitted. "I tried to stay away from you at first, but as time went on, it got harder and harder."

"Edward, she's my sister," I sighed, realizing he was trying to find a way to get them off the list.

"She's not acting like it," he protested firmly, eyes narrowing. "Mayze, if she says _anything _at our wedding, who's to say I won't blow up on her again? And what about Jacob with all his thoughts bad mouthing me and probably half of the guest list?"

I took the notebook from his hands and retraced the stars. "I'm gonna talk to them first, Edward, but I'm not marking them out. I _can't_."

He knew I was right, but I also understood where he was coming from. I kept talking about how amazing Bella used to be, how much fun Jake used to be, but all he's ever seen is the way they are now, and he hates that. He hates how they treat me, and frankly, I'm not too psyched about it either.

She was my big sister who was _supposed _to be my maid of honor. Now, she's just my blood relative who I still deeply care for, no matter how rude she is to me and my fiancé. It didn't bother me so much when she said crap about _me_ because I knew none of it was true. None of it she said about Edward was true either, but it still bothered me. And I'm sure it was the same for Edward but vice versa.

I slid the chair out from under the table and began walking towards the stairs, throwing my hair up in a ponytail carefully. "I need to get my hair done before it's too late."

"Your hair looks fine," he murmured. "What are you talking about?"

"It needs to be cut and colored," I disagreed. "Not full out—never mind. You'll see eventually. As I was saying, Alice said something about an engagement party? When's this supposed to take place?"

He sighed again, but instead of staying by the table, he leaned against the living room door frame and shrugged. "She hasn't decided yet, but I'm almost positive she wants to go shopping tomorrow and have it tomorrow night."

I groaned. "There are much better ways I would like to spend my day tomorrow."

He gave me a smile. "I know, love. I'll talk to her. Maybe you can go with me instead."

"That would be fun," I noted. "But I _seriously _doubt that. She'll want to go wedding dress shopping while we're out, and if we have two weeks . . . ."

His eyes lit up eagerly. "I need to call Alice. Let her get started right away."

"March 17th," I said brightly. As I said it, the happiest smile I had ever seen from him crawled onto his lips, and he began kissing me lovingly. "Now, really. Call Alice. A Saint Patty's day wedding."

Edward laughed. The only emotion I could get out of him now was pure bliss. "I'll do that."

When he pulled his phone out to call Alice, mine began ringing, so I slid off the counter and crossed the room to see who it was. It was a little surprising to see that Brynk was calling me, but I was quick to answer, since I was so worried and all.

"Hello?"

"Mayze!" she breathed into the phone, and in her voice with just that one word, I heard so much distress and woe. "I need your—oh man. Ahh! I need your help!"

"Brynk, slow down," I said quickly, eyes wide as Edward was immediately in front of me and also quickly briefing Alice on what he was hearing. "Where are you?"

"I'm . . . in Port Angeles," she panted. "Please. I need you to come find me! Quickly!"


	3. 03: Hunted

**i know. that was awful, wasn't it? i meant to put this chapter up before i went to bed last night, but i just sorta fell asleep. anyways, here it is! i'm definitely gonna keep working until i pass out. don't you worry about that!**

**this chapter song? I FREAKING LOVE IT! :D ah. it makes me so happy, despite the fact that it's kinda morbid. not to mention, the music video is so freaky, but i love it. and the song. ahh! :D**

**i know you don't wanna read this. you want to get to the chapter, so i'll shut up and tell you to please read and review. :) most importantly, though, enjoy.**

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><p>01. Five Years: Tonight Alive<br>02. Stay Close: Fireflight  
><strong>03. Bite My Tongue feat. Oli Sykes: You Me at Six<strong>

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><p>Honestly, I don't think I've ever moved faster than I did then. Frantically, I wrote a note for Charlie, just in case he got up in the middle of the night and noticed I was gone, and Edward and I left for Port Angeles. Rose and Emmett were on their way, too, just in case things got messy.<p>

Once we got to Port Angeles, Emmett and Rose quickly got there as well. From there, we split up and began frantically searching everywhere. I had to be on the phone with Edward at all times in case something went bad, but this way, we found her much easier.

Or . . . I did.

Brynk was surrounded by a bunch of strange men. They were taunting her, talking in disgusting voices that made it quite easy to understand what they were doing. It was one against seven, so the odds weren't exactly in my favor. I couldn't tell Edward what was going on either because I would alert them.

Right out of nowhere, though, I didn't have to. A familiar face, one that I had only ever briefly seen once, came rushing out. It evened up the odds, if you ask me, and when our eyes locked, we both sorta just nodded in agreement.

It was much more pleasant to see grey-blue eyes looking back at me than the fierce red ones from before.

When he was first to ram into one of the men, I slid my phone in my pocket and took off after another one. All their attention was on the vampire—Alistair, I believe Edward called him—so they didn't see me sneak up behind one and hit him over the head with a random board laying beside some dumpsters.

Maybe there were ways that didn't involve knocking them out, but they were hurting my friend . . . or planning to hurt her in ways she didn't deserve. I couldn't really see another way.

Alistair seemed as furious about this as I was, surprisingly, so he wasn't hesitating to hurt them either. Really, he did much better than I did because he took out five whereas I just got two. Still . . . we didn't kill them.

Brynk wasn't sure what to think as she looked at Alistair, eyes wide in horror. "N-No. P-P-Please don't hurt me."

"Brynk, he won't hurt you," I promised her. My best friend was more scared than I had seen her in a long time, shaking even. Even the sound of my voice freaked her out, so I slowly began approaching her with my hands held out to show her that I was no threat. Just Mayze. "Brynk . . . trust me. His eyes aren't red anymore. He doesn't kill humans."

"You . . . you inspired me to be more than what I was initially," Alistair said gently, eyes low as he turned to face me. "But . . . I had other motivations."

Brynk was able to hug me as I got to her, but she just began sobbing into my shoulders. Edward came running up behind me about then, eyebrows furrowed as he looked at Alistair. It didn't take him long to figure out what was going on, though, whereas I still didn't know.

Emmett and Rose got there next, and Emmett scowled. "Looks like I missed all the fun."

I let out a breathless laugh while Brynk began rubbing the tears from her eyes. "Something like that." I turned to Alistair. "What did you mean 'other motivations?'"

"Later, love," Edward murmured in my ear. "For now . . . Brynk, Alistair, come with us. We need to talk."

Brynk was very hesitant, mostly because she was just almost attacked, raped, and killed. Getting into a car with vampires didn't seem very pleasant to her, but she did it anyways. Alistair and Edward were up front simply because I needed to be there for my friend.

"If this is how bad it is to be _almost _raped," she whispered softly, not aware that Edward and Alistair could hear her. "Mayze, how did you survive?"

I hugged her close to me, and as tears began streaming down my cheeks, I took a deep breath. "I just held onto a promise and kept reminding myself that things would be better again one day."

That seemed to be enough for her, and as she began snuggling her head onto my lap, she almost immediately fell asleep.

Alistair let out a soft sigh as he smiled over at her. "She's beautiful when she sleeps."

That surprised me, enough that I cocked an eyebrow at him. "How did you know she was in trouble?"

Alistair looked hesitant, almost scared, to answer me. For a minute, he just kept opening and closing his mouth, trying to think of what he could say that wouldn't upset me.

"He's been keeping an eye on her," Edward told me for him. "He felt bad about almost changing her, but he's also become obsessed with her scent."

That _immediately _caused my teeth to snap together. "So you're hunting her then?"

"It started out as that," he murmured, and when he looked back at me, he winced. "I tried to resist, but it was driving me mad. Her blood tastes sweeter than anything I've ever experienced. It smells more tempting than anything, and I tried fighting it, but I couldn't. When I was scoping her place out, looking for the best time to attack . . . in the middle of all of that, I fell in love with her."

I was in complete shock, so I was stuttering around for words. "Wh-What?"

"I had to change if I ever wanted to be with her," he continued quietly, moving on so that I would understand a little more. "Of course, I knew it wasn't possible to actually be with her, but I still had reason to become better."

"What is she doing here anyways?" I asked softly, lips pressed together in a tight line, and my eyes began drifting down to my passed out best friend. "I thought they weren't leaving until late tomorrow night."

"She got done a day early," he explained. "She came early because she needs to talk to you." He sighed and began looking down. "Some vampire is hunting them all—her, her sister, Sapphire, and Oliver."

I could feel my entire body freeze up in fear, and Edward suddenly slammed his foot onto the gas pedal. There was a deep rage burning in his eyes, and he was more focused than I had seen yet. Focused, pissed—scared.

"What, Edward?"

"It's Blade," he said, uncertain. He knew it was Blade, but he wasn't sure how I would react to hearing this. "He knows it'll kill you."

I was now shaking because like Edward, I was so scared but more than that, I was pissed. And I mean _pissed_. "Why did you not keep her there?! They don't need to be separate, especially with no one to protect the others!"

"I'm calling Carlisle," Edward said quickly.

This was bad—a huge mess! If something happened to them, not only would it completely destroy the Cullens, but it would also completely destroy the pack, and they would just be even—hey!

I didn't hesitate to pull out my phone and call Jacob, despite the fact that he was _not _someone I wanted to talk to.

He wasn't happy when he answered. "What do you want?"

"To protect my family," I snapped. "And yours. Oliver and Sapphire are in trouble."

"What's going on?"

It was funny to me how serious and calm his voice got when he realized that this wasn't about me but instead someone's imprint, so I actually almost smiled. "Can I speak to Sam?"

He sighed, and in the background, I heard some mumbling and urgent talking. Next thing I knew, I was talking to Sam. "What do you need?"

"Oliver and Sapphire are being hunted by the same vampire that attacked me back in June," I said with a very straight-to-the-point tone. "Karma and Brynk as well, but Brynk is here with us. Karma is there with Oliver and Sapphire. I tell you this because I thought Leah and Brady might need to know."

He let out a deep sigh. "They live in Phoenix, correct?"

"Correct," I confirmed. "I don't know what Carlisle plans, but we can provide airfare over there if you would like. It's not a good situation, but I'd rather them be safe than myself comfortable."

"I'll decide who to send and meet with Carlisle," he said firmly. "Tell Edward that we'll meet up at the border at midnight."

I was surprised to find us at the Cullens' house, but with a small smile, I nodded, even though he couldn't see me. "I will."

Edward wasn't happy with me, at all. "Mayze, we don't need their help."

"They're the best help you can get," I said simply. "Leah and Brady will defend them with their lives, and the rest of the pack will get pretty close to it if not all of that. We do need their help."

"We can handle our own problems," he said firmly, eyes blazing. He was just as pissed as I was, but this wasn't because of what I had done. It wasn't because I took matters into my own hands and called in backup. This was because Blade was showing back up, and he may have to face him soon. Blade may see everything that's tortured Edward in the past, and he would see just how to make it worse on him.

That's why I was able to keep a cool head as I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek, which caught him _way _off guard. "Yes, but you can never be too sorry, Edward. The more help we have, the safer everyone is—including you guys."

"He's right, you know," Rose said icily. "Why did you call the mutts? We don't need them! We can handle our own problems."

"This is their problem, too," I said simply. "Like it or not, Leah and Brady imprinted on Oliver and Sapphire. They deserved to know."

"We could've told them after it was handled!" she exclaimed. "Don't you get it, Mayze? Vampires and werewolves will never be friends! You keep trying to force our worlds to mesh into one, but we never will! We'll always be enemies. Period."

"That's not true," I disagreed. "If that was true, how do you explain Seth and Embry? Quil?"

"That's different," she snapped. "They accept what we are and can get around it. The rest of those guys can't! We don't like each other. You can't make it happen. It. Never. Will!"

I felt my chest heaving in and out very deeply, but I kept my face serious and shrugged. "I don't believe that."

She actually began laughing as her eyebrows rose. "What? You really think you're going to be the key that meshes us all together, makes one big, messed up family?"

"I didn't say that," I said truthfully. "I don't know, but I truly do believe that it can work. Disagree or not, whatever. I don't have time for this. My best friends are in danger. They have a sick and twisted psychotic vampire hunting them to torture _me_. Like it or not, the pack can help."

"She's right," Carlisle surprised us all, except Edward, who already heard it and wasn't too happy about it. "Why take unnecessary risks? The more we have, the less casualties we'll have. I've been asking around, looking into previous encounters we've had . . . Blade isn't someone to trifle with, and we're not going to take any chances. Mayze, when did Sam ask us to meet?"

"Midnight, at the border," I said softly, and I began quirking my lips to the side. "I wanna come with you."

"Oh _hell _no!" Edward suddenly said, very angry as he pulled me over in front of him. "Are you crazy?"

"No," I said firmly. "They're my family, Edward. I can't just sit here and wait, wondering if everyone I care about is okay."

"Unfortunately, that's what's best," Carlisle said quietly. "You're just a human, and it's too risky to bring you to Phoenix with Blade so set on killing you. You'll be well protected, but I'm not willing to risk that, and I know Edward's not."

Emmett scoffed. "I'm not either." He then looked at Alistair. "Who are you?"

"I'm Alistair," he murmured. "I, uh, found out about Blade."

Very quietly, Brynk began climbing out of the backseat with dreary eyes, and when I saw her, I realized that I had to stay. If I left, I was leaving her here, and she didn't need to be alone right now, not after her dreary day.

With a sigh, I walked over to her and put her arm around my shoulders. "Be careful, guys. Please."


	4. 04: The Test

**well here you go everyone! sorry i didn't get it up earlier. busy day. also, i'm gonna note that in the prologue of DIVIDED, i changed all of Mayze's piercings and tattoos simply because i just didn't like them. so, i changed them. if that makes you mad, i'm truly sorry, but i just felt that what i changed it to was better.**

**anyways, without pointless rambling, here it is. please read, review, and enjoy. :)**

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><p>01. Five Years: Tonight Alive<br>02. Stay Close: Fireflight  
>03. Bite My Tongue feat. Oli Sykes: You Me at Six<br>**04. Obvious: Hey Monday**

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><p>Brynk slept perfectly, but as my family left to meet with the pack, I couldn't sleep a wink. I began pacing around the entirety of the house while clutching my stomach. Like before, I had a bad feeling, and it made my stomach hurt—a lot. Pacing made my legs hurt, but I was terrified and didn't know what else to do. Sure, they weren't going off yet to stop him, but they were strategizing, and more than that, they were arguing. A lot.<p>

Around two, maybe, they arrived. By they, I mean everyone. All of the Cullens and a lot of the pack came rushing through the doors.

I was sitting on the bottom stair helplessly, and surprisingly, Alice was the first to notice me, despite all of the others who usually noticed me first.

She gracefully danced her way over to sit beside me before softly kissing my cheek. "Everything's going to be okay. I still see our future, and you're still in it. We're all still okay."

I grimaced a little and began holding my stomach again. "Something doesn't feel right."

She nodded. "I know what you mean. It seems to easy."

I just took a deep breath as I ran my fingers through my hair. "What'd you guys decide?"

"They're driving out tonight," she said softly. "Esme, Alistair, and I are staying here to watch over you and Brynk. Sam, Paul, Leah, Embry, Brady, and Jared are going. The rest are staying here, and they're protecting you, Brynk, and Bella. If we ever need them, Seth will stay here, and he'll let the remaining know. Jacob's in charge while they're away."

"So many going," I said quietly. "I was thinking about the pack simply because it would surprise him."

"I don't know, but the numbers alone might scare him away or be the end of him," she assured me. "I can't really tell. Everything's too clouded."

I just nodded, uncertain how to respond. The more I thought about it, the more I began to wonder if I made the right call. Calling in the pack did, yes, increase the numbers and increase the odds for them, but what if it was bad to have more? Blade could find out their deepest fears, find out how to torture them the worst, and they may survive, but they'll never forget what he did to them. They'll never accept that not all vampires are bad.

I felt Edward begin softly massaging my shoulders, which surprised me. At some point while I was lost in thought, Alice left, and Edward sat down behind me. It was incredible, and immediately, so much tension just disappeared.

"Can I talk to you?" he whispered softly in my ear before tenderly kissing it.

My eyes fluttered shut, and a smile actually made its way onto my lips. "Sure."

He actually laughed, despite the circumstances, and playfully began biting my ear. "I meant alone, silly girl."

I felt my cheeks warming up for whatever reason. Edward and I had been alone so many times that I literally lost count. Soon, we would be married, and being alone would consist of different things than it did now—sometimes, of course, because not _all _the time—but still, for whatever reason, I was blushing.

He took me by the hand and led me out the front door, and before I knew it, I was being pulled onto his back as he took off running into the woods. The wind on my face was incredible, and despite the fact that I really didn't care too much about not being able to see right, I was very happy about going off alone with him for just a minute.

We arrived at the meadow shortly, and honestly, I should've known that's where we were going. Still, I couldn't help but look at how beautiful it looked at dawn. It was beautiful the way the skies, lit up faintly orange, pink, and a beautiful blue, changed the colors of the water as well.

Edward, surprisingly, wasn't looking at me. The last time we were here, he asked me to marry him, he made the decision to change me, and we had a very steamy night,. I wasn't sure about him, but that's where my thoughts were, and it was the reason for my smile.

"I talked to Carlisle about this, and he thinks maybe it'll be okay," he said quietly. "After the honeymoon, I'm going to change you."

This surprised me, especially considering the source, who was all for delaying it as long as possible. When he turned around to see my reaction, he saw a wide-eyed Mayze.

"This worry I'm constantly feeling," he began to explain. "It's driving me crazy! I'm tired of Blade successfully torturing me. He needs to die, and maybe we'll take care of that, but I'm sick of worrying, and . . . what if we don't get him? The possibilities are endless. The pack doesn't know yet, so we're going to have to move off, but—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I said quickly, cutting him off immediately. "No."

He was surprised now, so much that he began feeling my cheeks and forehead. "Uh . . . what?"

"I'm _not _leaving Charlie," I said firmly. "Not only that, but think about the risk this would put our family at . . . or Embry, Seth, and Quil. If we _can _wait until I _have _to be changed, why not do it? Carlisle can speak to Sam about changing me then so that it won't break the treaty."

"Sam won't ever agree to that," he sighed. "Either way, anyone in the Cullen family doing it breaks the treaty."

My lips pressed together in thought as I began pacing around him, rubbing my hands on my chin as I did. Sam would _never _agree. That much was true. Was there another way that _didn't _involve someone besides Edward doing it?

No. No one else could give—wait, yes!

My blue gaze was wide again as I eagerly rushed to face Edward. "Not necessarily! One person _can _agree to it."

"Oh yes, because that's _way _more likely to happen," he agreed sarcastically. "You _do _remember our last encounter with him, right?"

I nodded. Despite the fact that he was right, I couldn't let myself lose hope. "Yes, _but_ we can work on that, specifically me."

"That'll _never _happen, but I guess you can try," he decided almost immediately after I said it. "But, can you at least consider this option?"

I shook my head firmly, eyes matching this. "If this is gonna break the treaty anyways, I wanna spend as much time with that side of my family as I can. Not to mention, people will get suspicious if we all just disappear. They won't know what happened or anything, but they'll always wonder."

"I guess I see your point," he said softly, but still, he was shocked and not very happy with the decision. I could see that in his smoldering green eyes. "If we kill Blade today, I'll be alright."

I made a face at him and folded my arms over my chest, frowning a little. "You're trying to make me feel bad."

He nodded, flashing me an innocent and crooked grin with those perfectly white teeth. "Of course I am. I hate worrying like I do."

I was laughing when I put my arms around his neck, despite the fact that I hated feeling bad. While I smiled up at him with shining eyes, he pulled my body against his and started kissing my neck. "Well, maybe you should worry less. Get a new hobby. Ooh! You could collect shoes."

He stopped kissing my neck so that he could dubiously stare at me, but before he could say anything, I was very eagerly kissing him. It caught him off guard, especially how quickly and forcefully I did it, so I was able to push him into the tree behind him.

This _really _surprised him and turned him on a lot. Besides the fact that I knew him and could tell by the way he was kissing me, something was poking into my stomach much harder and much more obviously than before I pushed him into the tree.

I pulled back suddenly as a new idea occurred to me. What if I tested his ability to _not _kiss me?

"Let's see how well you manage to _not _kill me," I breathed seductively before very passionately kissing him again.

To say a fire started inside of us in that moment is no exaggeration. If it came out and began burning the forest down around us, neither of us would notice nor really care. This kiss started out similar to other passionate kisses we shared, but I had something different in mind. I had never done anything like this before, and neither had he, so we could learn together. He could learn to kiss me like this very carefully in preparation for the honeymoon.

When my tongue slid across his bottom lip, he understood what I meant, and his entire body stiffened. Still, even though it surprised him and made him stiff, he actually parted his lips enough to let my tongue slip through.

I won't tell you that it was what I expected it to be. Actually, it burned a little, but surprisingly, there was a sweet taste in my mouth as our tongues began dancing a very unfamiliar dance. Our lips knew how to dance together well, but this was something new and foreign for both of us.

He surprised me, though, when he abruptly turned to forcefully pin _me _into the tree, and he had to pull away to do it. Now, though, it was _his _turn, and when his tongue slipped into my mouth, I found myself knotting my fingers in his hair and pulling him as close to me as I could possibly get him. He noticed what I was trying to do, and he pulled me up into my arms to make it easier on both of us. After all, he _is _taller than me.

For my own personal convenience, I wrapped my legs around his waist and simply tightened my grip around him while his tongue continued to caress my own. His hands were very strongly grabbing me, and I could feel his body tensing and tightening with each breath I made, but when I had to pull back for air, I could see an excitement beyond what I expected.

He looked like a little kid getting a lot of his favorite candy, or catching that homerun baseball. "I did it!"

I laughed and slid back down, taking deep breaths to calm myself down. "You did."

"How was that for you?" he asked eagerly, and it actually looked like he might be bouncing in delight.

Of course, this made me laugh some more, but I didn't let him see my face because I wrapped my arms around his waist and simply hugged him. "Beyond what I can actually describe—in a very incredible way."

"Same here," he murmured. "You know, if you think about it, it seems like it would be weird and gross, and some actually say it is, but I guess if done with the right person, it's okay." He began hugging me now as he let out a sigh of content. "Ah, Mayzie, I really think I can do this!"

"You seemed to have a hard time," I noted, looking up at him but otherwise not moving my body.

He was looking off in the distance with a timid smile. "I was, but with more practice, it'll be just fine."

I started to reply, but before I could, his cell phone began ringing. At first, we both just stood there in each other's arms, continuing to enjoy our moment, but then, we remembered what was going on. We remembered that reality was here, and my family in Phoenix was in danger.

They needed Edward to come back so they could leave.

With a sigh, I let him go and gestured towards his phone. He didn't answer it; only looked at the caller ID. I'm not gonna lie. That made me happy. Still, I had to face the fact that he was leaving now, and I wasn't sure how long they would be gone. More than that, I wasn't sure what was gonna happen while they were gone. Of course, they would all come back, but would they come back the same? Would they come back, haunted by the torture Blade put on them?

I couldn't bear to look at Edward's face, so I squeezed my eyes shut. "You better come back to me."

He let out a breathless laugh. "It's five vampires and six werewolves against one vampire. We're gonna be fine."

I shook my head, hesitant. "I mean . . . come back _you_. Blade has a way of messing people up. You know that. Can you make sure everyone else comes back themselves as well? Warn them for me?"

"I will," he promised, and he tilted my face up to look at him. "I promise, Mayze. I'll come back, and then you and I will take a nice trip out to Jacksonville to visit Renée. After all, I think she would like to know you're getting married in two weeks."

My eyes widened in absolute horror. "I didn't tell my mom!"

He laughed softly and kissed the top of my head. "Don't worry, love. Charlie called her back when it happened and told her about it, explaining that you were busy and it simply slipped your mind. I'm sure she's emailed you, though I'm surprised she hasn't called."

I sighed and began rubbing my face. "First thing after I get up, I've gotta tell Charlie and call Renée."

"Okay, baby," he whispered. "For now, though, let's get you back home so that you can get some sleep and we can head out."

Right. Out to kill Blade and protect Oliver, Sapphire, and Karma.

Ugh. This whole mess is my fault.


	5. 05: Wedding Bells

**i will simply put . . . you are in for a real surprise. :)**

**please read, review, and enjoy. i am out for the night (or morning, i should say) so i hope you enjoy chapter 5. i guess, if you're reading this far into the series, you're enjoying the series in general, but here you go. chapter 5 with a mean cliff hanger. :D**

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><p>01. Five Years: Tonight Alive<br>02. Stay Close: Fireflight  
>03. Bite My Tongue feat. Oli Sykes: You Me at Six<br>04. Obvious: Hey Monday  
><strong>05. I Must Be Dreaming: The Maine<br>**

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><p>I was out of breath, scared out of my mind. Even though I wasn't running—I had nowhere to run—I was being beaten, tortured. Still, things had been worse, and though this hurt, I could know that at least she would be okay. At least, maybe, everyone would be fine, and things could go back to the way they should be.<p>

But Edward . . . .

Her glowing red eyes stared deep into mine, fierce and livid, and she forcefully pinned me against the wall, knocking what little breath I had in my lungs right out. "You're dead, Bella. I hope you realize that."

_At least it was you, not her._

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><p>Bella and Charlie temporarily moved into the Cullen's house later on that morning, and of course they brought Auggie, too. It was easier on everyone if we were all together so that they could protect us there. I wasn't too fond of staying in the same house as Bella, especially considering the dream I had that morning, but if it made things easier on the people protecting us, I was all for it.<p>

It also had more room for everyone protecting us to stay in one central location. Esme also got to have fun cooking lots of food.

She would definitely miss that.

Alice and Charlie talked forever, whereas Bella and Jacob mostly stayed locked up in the room Bella was staying in—my old room. Maybe this seemed a bit extreme, but we were preparing for the worst.

Despite the fact that she didn't understand exactly why Alistair was here or how he found her in the ally, Brynk was talking to him a lot. It actually made me smile, even considering everyone here and in Phoenix could be in serious danger.

Alice and Esme mostly stuck together, although they talked to me some as well. Mostly, though, they prepared for just about any situation that they could think of.

That left me with Charlie, who I still had to break the news to.

"Dad?" I said quietly, uncertain.

He could hear my hesitation, but still, he smiled at me as he put his arm around me and hugged me close to him, absentmindedly petting Auggie on the other side of him. "What is it, kiddo?"

I sighed. Even though I couldn't see his face, I closed my eyes so I could focus better. "I . . . need to talk to you about something. Edward and I have been discussing the wedding . . . and we're strongly considering moving it to this month . . . in less than two weeks."

He scoffed, but to my surprise, he began laughing. "Okay. That makes more sense, considering we have no idea when you'll have to be changed. You should probably decide in a hurry. Poor Alice already has enough to do!"

Alice laughed blissfully. "They already decided, Charlie. That was just her way of making sure you weren't mad. We've got everything taken care of."

"Not _everything_," I disagreed, and her eyebrows raised in question. The thing that she hated most about my wedding was the thing I was most stubborn about, but for no reason, after everyone left, I couldn't sleep for a bit more, and I looked at random wedding dresses.

I found one that I actually loved more than what I already had, and it was floor length. That was dangerous for me, but I wanted it more than anything else.

I took a deep breath and gestured for her to follow me up to my room, where I pulled up the picture of the dress I wanted. The instant she saw it, she began squealing and dancing around like crazy. I had known Alice to get excited, but she had never gotten this excited around me before. It was enough excitement that I found myself getting pumped up about it, and I let out a soft squeal of my own.

I gasped suddenly, but Alice didn't pay me any attention and instead rushed to call the number necessary for the dress. "I need to call Renée."

"I also need to call the people for this dress," she informed me. "Where is it made at? New York City? Hmm. That would be a fun trip to make one day."

I didn't listen to the rest of her rambling about what a fabulous shopping trip that would be, and truthfully, I agreed with her. In New York City, they're likely to have things I would wear, too.

Of course, I was scared to talk to my mom simply because I didn't tell her about being engaged in the first place. And now I was telling her it was in a little less that two weeks? Well, exactly two weeks from today, actually.

Still, it had to be done, and the sooner the better, so I just did it without thinking about it anymore.

"Mayze!" she exclaimed eagerly, picking up after barely one ring. "I was hoping you'd call! I know your father said you're busy and all, but I wanted to ask you when I should fly up for the wedding."

"Um . . . well, that just depends on how early you want to get here," I said nervously, letting out a shaky laugh. "Mom, there's something I need to tell you. We're . . . actually getting married on the seventeenth."

She paused for a minute but then continued. "Well, alright. Thirteen days later. That's alright. I can wait, even though I'm super excited and wish it was now!"

"That's what I meant, Mom," I admitted, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I meant we're getting married in two weeks."

I literally had to pull the phone away from my ear as she began squealing and screaming in joy, something that actually distracted Alice from her phone conversation enough that she laughed about it. It took a few minutes for Renée to get it all out so that she was very eagerly stuttering through her words.

"W-W-Why did you guys decide this?!" she insisted. "Oh, you know what? I don't care! Mayze, I have to talk to him again first, though! I didn't get to know him very well because he was so worried about you!"

"You will, Mom," I assured her. "We're coming to see you guys next weekend. He's . . . doing a family thing this weekend, or we would've already come, but we're definitely going next weekend. Promise."

"You better," she said firmly. "As soon as you can talk to him about it, let me know exact dates so we'll know when to expect you. Mayze, this is so exciting! I have to pick out my dress!"

Alice held her hand out for me to give her the phone, and with a frown, I said, "Mom, Alice needs to talk to you." So, I handed her the phone and went over to the closet.

Rose, Alice, and Esme's dresses were in my closet simply because it helped keep everything organized. The bridesmaids' dresses were coming in soon—the ones for Sapphire, Brynk, and Karma—and as soon as they arrived, they would go right in the closet as well.

There were tuxes in here as well. My request was that every man had a tux to match his date's dress, so Emmett's was black and red; Jasper's was black, white, and soft pink; and Carlisle's was brown, white, and blue.

Speaking of everyone's attire . . . .

I carefully made my way over to the closet and began looking for the shoes labeled "Mayze." Alice and I agreed that I needed practice walking, so I figured I might as well get started.

She was smiling while she watched me put them on and begin carefully and cautiously walking around the room. They were bright blue shoes, the same color as my eyes and as my nails would be, and they were covered in glitter. Along with that, the border where my foot went in was lined with black lace. They didn't really match the dress I was originally gonna get, but they matched the new one _perfectly_.

"She's got the dress picked out now," Alice said. "If you give me an email, I can send you a picture of it. I'm afraid I'm going to have to go pick it up in New York with the measurements, but it'll be well worth it. It's beautiful!"

This made me happy. The best choice, my favorite, also made Alice happy—very happy, it seemed.

Like before, walking in heels was surprisingly easy for me. For whatever reason, I was better at that than walking barefoot. It was kinda sad, but it made me smile. Looks like I didn't have to practice much after all.

After a couple more minutes of walking perfectly, I slipped the shoes back into the boxes and closed the closet back. Then, once I did, Alice handed me the phone back. "Yes?"

"I'm so happy for you, dear," she said blissfully. "Alice seems wonderful! I thought Bella was going to be your maid of honor, though?"

"Alice is the wedding planner," I informed her, laughing a little. "She's not my maid-of-honor, although she's doing the work like she is."

"Okay, well, I was a little worried," she murmured. "So, anyways, I'm happy! I absolutely cannot wait to meet him! He must be something special if _Charlie _adores him as much as he does! When he called me with the news that you were engaged, he went on for so long about how incredible he is! I just cannot wait to meet him!"

"I thought you hated teenage marriages," I said lightly, letting out a breath as I smiled, despite my surprise.

Alice's green-hazel eyes were shining. "I'll be downstairs if you need me."

I just nodded and listened to Renée continue to go on with her answer. "I hated _my _teenage marriage. I think you're ready for it, though, and from the way Charlie talks, you and your fiancé have no reason to wait anyways."

And that's just what my mom and I talked about for over an hour—Edward, the wedding, and just how happy I was. She went on and on about how thankful she was that she didn't make me go to Jacksonville with her, and I couldn't lie. I was thankful, too.

After hanging up with Renée, I began thinking about the floral arrangements. Alice told me to give her an answer by tomorrow, so I really had to do some serious thinking.

When Charlie very breathlessly rushed into my room suddenly with Auggie following right behind him, I almost stopped breathing in general the moment I laid eyes on him. His eyes were panicked and full of guilt, something that surprised me more than anything else. "Mayze, I can't let you get married without telling you the truth. You have to know."

Now I was scared. The truth? The truth about what? So, instead of just wondering, I shakily asked, "T-The truth about what?"

He was still panting, eyes set in mine as he suddenly looked guilty all over again—pained, too. "Your blood. Mayze, we're not your real parents. You were adopted."


	6. 06: Gathering Thoughts

**please continue to read, review, and enjoy. :) sorry. no long author's note because frankly, it's late. i'm tired. i have a test tomorrow, so i should be asleep already, but i'm not. instead, i'm updating for you wonderful readers. don't feel bad, though, because i wouldn't be heading to bed until now anyways, updating or not. :3**

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><p>01. Five Years: Tonight Alive<br>02. Stay Close: Fireflight  
>03. Bite My Tongue feat. Oli Sykes: You Me at Six<br>04. Obvious: Hey Monday  
>05. I Must Be Dreaming: The Maine<strong><br>06. Falling Inside the Black: Skillet**

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><p>If I told you that this wasn't surprising to me, I would be lying. Charlie looked scared because honestly, how could he know how I would respond to this? Still, I swallowed my shock and did something to astonishment <em>him<em>: I hugged him.

"Dad, I don't care," I said quietly, my voice gentle. "You and Mom raised me, took care of me. And hey. You picked _me_! That makes me happy, but it doesn't change anything. I'm a little curious why you didn't tell me before, but I'm sure you had your reasons."

He was staring dubiously at me. "Uh . . . yeah. You see, Renée was pregnant with a second little girl, but the umbilical cord got wrapped around her neck, and she died before childbirth was through. We named her Alyssa. Anyways, we couldn't bear it, but most importantly, we couldn't bear to tell little Bella, who was so happy to be getting a baby sister. The doctor heard us talking about how to tell Bella, and then he told us about you. You were born really early that morning, but your mom just left you there with a note on her pillow that said, 'Find her a good home, the kind I can't give her.' So, we took you. The doctor couldn't give you to us until the papers were filled out, which is why you were 'sick' for a few weeks. We brought you home and never said a thing about it again."

"It explains so much, really," I laughed.

He slowly began shaking his head, chocolate eyes dazed. "I don't understand how you're so calm about this."

"Blood or not, you guys raised me," I said simply. "You're my family, and nothing could change that. If you would like to add on that I'm an alien from outer space, which wouldn't surprise me at all, it still wouldn't change _anything_. Only make more sense of my life."

He let out a content sigh as he pulled me into another hug. "Mayze, I have worried about this for _years_, but I guess there was no reason to. I'll call your mom and let her know that I told you. She'll be pissed until she hears your reaction. You told her about the new date, right?"

I nodded. "I thought she would hate it, considering it meant a wedding _during _high school, but that's what she was hoping for."

Charlie laughed. "She's full of surprises, Mayze. That's one of the reasons we didn't work out. I hate surprises . . . which is what I just completely threw on you."

I smiled. "Well, I'm the same way, I guess—full of surprises, I mean. I _did _pick up Mom's personality, although it's relieving to understand _why _I look so different from everyone."

"The doctors said you look just like your mom," he informed me. "They said she was a sweet woman, scrawny and barely able to even have you. She did, though, despite the warnings originally that it could kill you both. She had you, and she was so nice. It makes sense that she gave you up if she knew she couldn't take care of you."

"Do they know who the father is?"

He grimaced, something that actually worried me a little. Never before in my life had I seen Charlie cry, but his eyes began filling with tears almost immediately. "They don't know . . . because she was raped. She doesn't even know."

It made sense why he was so hesitant to answer, why the answer brought tears to his eyes. Charlie was a cop, and even though he had no idea that _I _was raped, he still hated it. He hated knowing I was a product of rape almost as much as I hated it.

This was no time to tell him, but he seemed to figure it out by the way I completely avoided eye contact. Edward had told me that I sometimes showed my thoughts in my eyes, although a lot of times I was able to hide it. This didn't seem to be one of those times as the thought, "_Seems we have something in common_" slipped out.

He actually began weeping. "Mayze?"

I couldn't swallow, couldn't breathe. All I could do was pointlessly try to fight my own tears as my body began shaking. "You didn't need to know."

"That's what happened that night," he managed to get out, bloodshot eyes set on mine so he could make sure I didn't lie. "That's why you were as upset as you were."

I couldn't speak through the lump gathering in my throat, but I nodded. Alice was suddenly in the doorway, her eyes full of so much pain as well. People were capable of feeling a great deal of pain, but vampires seemed to have more pain to feel. They seemed to be able to feel everything much stronger than humans.

It made sense, I guess.

"I need some air," Charlie whispered, and he very carefully turned and gently brushed past Alice, who was standing with her eyes low to the ground.

"He didn't know . . . ."

"I didn't tell anyone," I said quietly. "At the time, I couldn't. What if they did a rape kit and found out the DNA was different? I don't know if it is, but I didn't take any risks."

Her body seemed to be trembling a little. "You didn't say anything to anyone . . . because you didn't want our secret to get out?"

I nodded, quirking my lips to the side. "It _couldn't_. I knew you guys could get in trouble, as well as myself and the person who discovered he wasn't human."

She let out a soft sigh. "You've sacrificed so much for our family, gone above and beyond what we realized. Mayze, you've heard it before, but I really mean this. You're absolutely perfect for this family, and I honestly believe that you fit here. You _belong_."

It was the first time I heard that, but it wasn't the first time I heard her tell me I was perfect for this family. Actually, I distinctly remember the last time and the first time. She told me that, and she also said that she can't wait until I'm a vampire.

That actually made me smile a little, despite what had just gone on. So much had happened in such a small amount of time. "You knew all along that I would become a vampire, didn't you?"

She nodded. "I knew it the day you came into our lives. I knew Edward was going to find someone soon, but when you came along, I realized that it was _you_, and I realized you would be one of us. Edward didn't know that until he let himself fall for you and it slipped, and now . . . I think he's excited to know that he gets to keep you forever."

"I'm excited, too," I said honestly. "More than just him, everyone else I really care about is gonna live forever."

"Well, not _everyone_," she disagreed quietly. Sure, it didn't really lighten the mood, but it reminded me that my parents were still gonna die. Brynk and Karma were still gonna die, and there was nothing I could do about it—nothing that I would anyways.

I sighed and nodded. "Right. But, I'm not gonna think about that now. Instead, I'm gonna think about the floral arrangements. I know I want roses, but what colors? I mean, I want this to be simple and without spending so much money, but I also would _love _to have black and blue roses." Then, a new idea occurred to me, and my eyes lit up. "Wait! The house could be decorated with blue roses however you want, and my bouquet could simply be one black rose and one white rose."

Her eyebrows rose. "A black and white one? Why?"

I shrugged nonchalantly and began looking up pictures of blue flowers to show her what color I wanted. What I found was that some people actually made roses the color of my eyes, but really, I didn't want to overdo that color. Instead, I went for a much softer blue—a beautiful icy blue.

Alice loved the color as well, and she actually made the call to the floral company right then. The order process sounded complicated, so I didn't really pay it much attention and instead decided to simply lay there and think about everything. It was something I used to do all the time, but ever since I came to Forks, I never really had much time to think about things. It was always so busy or too depressing to think about, but now . . . I was alone and free, but more than that, I was moving on from all the trouble.

Let's see . . . I came to Forks, fell in love, turns out my love is a vampire, my best friend is a werewolf, a vampire began hunting me, her mate is now hunting me, he raped me, Edward left, Laurent came and told me I have to become a vampire, his family came back, Edward came back, we get engaged, my Phoenix friends come up for a visit, they find out about werewolves, Brynk is attacked by a new vampire, that vampire falls in love with her, they are now being hunted by Blade to torture me, my family has gone out to kill Blade, I'm getting married in two weeks, my parents are both _thrilled _I'm getting married, I'm adopted, and my biological mom was raped. She, despite the fact that I wasn't her choice, kept me and gave me up to a better home.

It was a lot to take in, but I managed to process it all and get a grip on it. Soon, I would be married. Mrs. Elizabeth Cullen.

Hmm. Maybe something else . . . Mayze Cullen.

That actually had a nice ring to it that made me smile, a _lot_. In two weeks from this day, I would be married.

I began thinking back to the day he came back, and I remembered the ring that I hadn't worn in a while. It wasn't because I didn't like it or forgot to wear it. My engagement ring sort of took its place, so I slid it onto my right middle finger. That way, I had them both. His promise and the engagement ring.

Alice plopped down onto the bed once she was off the phone. "I think everything's ready to go."

I pulled out the checklist I made, which she had to fix up a lot. Apparently, there was more to wedding planning than I realized. Everything was now able to be checked, except for the final dress fitting. That, though, would have to wait until closer to time but more specifically when I had the dress.

"Did you ask them about going to New York to get it?" I asked curiously.

She shook her head. "No. I mean, they're busy. Besides, I'll be there and back before they are, so they won't even know I'm gone."

"Okay," I said lightly, but there was doubt in my tone as I said it. She caught on, too, because she frowned at me.

"Thanks for the confidence in me."


	7. 07: Early Risers

**sorry for all the filler chapters. i can't just dive into the next exciting part, not yet, but the next chapter is a sorta filler, then BAM. the exciting stuff. :) by sorta filler, i mean it's gonna have some intense stuff in there. no spoilers. :D please continue to R&R, and most importantly, enjoy. :) i'll do my best to update as much as possible. promise.**

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><p>01. Five Years: Tonight Alive<br>02. Stay Close: Fireflight  
>03. Bite My Tongue feat. Oli Sykes: You Me at Six<br>04. Obvious: Hey Monday  
>05. I Must Be Dreaming: The Maine<br>06. Falling Inside the Black: Skillet  
><strong>07. Hurt: Thousand Foot Krutch<strong>

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><p>As I went to sleep that night—it was really late because we all drove Alice to the airport in Seattle first—a thought began haunting me, mostly because I had thought about Blade and the current situation. What if this was what he was doing? Surely he knew that a direct approach with everyone around, especially Edward, was a really bad idea, so was this just a diversion?<p>

It was really bothering me, enough that I barely got any sleep.

I woke up to the sunrise of the beautiful morning. The sun, bright and orange, was absolutely beautiful as it made its way through the trees and into view. Most people didn't get up this early, especially on a weekend, but I gave up trying to sleep.

Surprisingly, I was quickly joined by Esme. It wasn't really surprising that she was up, obviously, but I didn't really expect her to join me.

She had a cup of hot chocolate for me, but it wasn't really hot. It was at the perfect drinking temperature—not too hot where it burned your tongue, but hot enough that it warmed your insides on its way down.

"I can't grasp everything," I admitted to her quietly, even though she really didn't ask what was on my mind. Esme didn't have to because she was just someone you opened up to, just like that. "I don't really feel good about all of this."

She sighed. "I don't either. This seems too . . . convenient. I'm not saying Alistair has anything to do with it. I think Blade's thought this through much more than they thought about."

"He knows how to torture everyone he comes across," I whispered. "He could destroy our lives, and he's sick enough to leave us alive to suffer through it."

"Not everyone," she disagreed. "Edward says he has to figure out how to torture you on his own. That's why he's so fascinated with you. He's put so much time into you that you've become someone of his liking—in more than one way."

I shuddered, but thankfully, my phone began ringing, so we were able to stop this conversation instantly. When I got to my phone, I was surprise at who it was. "Hello?"

Edward let out a soft sigh. "It's good to hear your voice again."

"I could say the same for you," I said lightly. "I thought you weren't gonna call."

"Well, we lost him," he said quietly. "Somehow, he managed to get all the way into California, and we lost his trail in the Pacific. As soon as Karma, Sapphire, and Oliver are ready, we're driving back up. We'll just have to wait for him to resurface. You know . . . my offer still stands."

I smiled, despite the fact that I knew he wouldn't like the answer and despite the fact hearing this made me feel even more uneasy. "And I still stand by my original place."

"Of course you do."

When I looked back to the windowsill, I was surprised to find Esme no longer there. It was surprising, but I moved on from it and sat down on the bed. "We have a lot to talk about when you get home."

"Anything bad?"

I could hear the worry in his tone, and it made me smile. "No. Nothing bad. It was surprising, but not bad."

He sighed in relief, and I could almost hear him smiling. "Good. I'm glad." And then, he began going into detail about their time trying to track Blade down, all the obstacles them came across.

For a minute, I just smiled, loving how great it was to hear his voice again. We hadn't really been apart long, but still. Being apart reminded me too much of that long period of absence, and I hated that.

But, after just listening to him for a bit, I realized that I needed to tell him something—my fears. "As much as I love listening to your voice, baby, there's something I need to ask you about."

"Shoot," he murmured. "You sure everything's alright?"

"I don't know," I said truthfully, voice quiet. "What if . . . what if this was his plan all along? To separate everyone so I was an easier target?"

"That's why we left some there to protect you, but that's starting to feel more likely," he agreed. "Thank you, Mayze, for bringing this back up. I'll let everyone know. Can I talk to Alice?"

My eyes widened in horror. I distinctly remember asking her what to do if this happened, and she said, "They won't ask for me. It'll be fine. If they do, tell them I'm hunting."

"You mean _lie _to _Edward_?"

"He won't understand that I couldn't wait for them to get back to go get it," she insisted. "You have to. I'll tell him it was my fault when we're all back."

So, I began biting on my bottom lip. "Uh . . . ."

"Where is she?" he asked slowly, catching on to my hesitance much faster than I thought he would.

"She went hunting," Esme said from the doorway, which surprised me more than anyone.

"Oh," Edward said, and I felt my heart jolt a little. "I'll call her on her phone later then. By the way, they all found out . . . about everything. We had to tell them in order to explain why we were there."

"Figures," I said, laughing a little. "It'll be fine, right? They won't be in danger . . . will they?"

"It'll be better for everyone if the Volturi _don't _find out about it, but I think with them being imprints of shapeshifters, it'll be okay," he sighed. "I'm not really sure, though. To be safe, we'll just _not _let the Volturi find out."

I briefly remembered back to when he told me about the Volturi. They didn't seem like people we wanted to mess with, so I sighed. "That would be best."

Brynk surprised me when she came running into my room, her eyes wide in excitement. "Mayze!"

"What are you doing up?"

"Forget that, guess what Alistair just showed me!" she said eagerly.

My eyebrows rose, and as if on cue, Alistair came behind her with a sheepish smile. In his eyes, I could see gratitude and also . . . love. Like he said, he loved Brynk, and it seemed like she really liked him as well.

With a bright smile, I let out a sigh of content. "I'll call you back later. That was mostly what I wanted to talk to you about, and I'm sure you're busy."

"I need to go as well," he agreed. "I love you, Mayzie. More than anything else in the world."

That brightened my smile even more. "I love you, too. Get back as fast as you can."

"Oh, you better believe that I am," he said quickly, and it actually made me laugh as I was hanging up.

As soon as I did, I adverted all of my attention to Brynk, who was still just glowing. "What?"

"He showed me how fast vampires can run!" she exclaimed. "How do you manage to _not _flip out when Edward carried you on his back?"

I laughed. "You just get used to it, really. It really freaked me out the first time, but now, it's like nothing, especially since I'm becoming some weird freaky half vampire thing."

She suddenly looked very serious, almost like the fact that I was becoming a vampire was something she had thought about. "How . . . what made you decide you wanted to become a vampire?"

"When I realized that I was irrevocably in love with Edward, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of eternity with him," I said simply. "That and I also knew that if I died, he would find a way to get himself killed as well."

Brynk pressed her lips together in thought, and she looked up at Alistair. "Are you gonna do the same?"

"I have to say I would," he admitted quietly.

This made my eyes widen. "You told her?"

"She figured it out, really," he said, laughing a little. "I don't know how, but she did."

"You're really not that good at hiding it," she pointed out, and I had to agree with that. "Alistair, you can't do that."

"Brynk, you don't understand," he insisted. "The reason a vampire is after Bella and another is after Mayze is because vampires can only truly love once. It's part of the 'never changing' thing we have. Once we love someone, we'll love them forever. I can't live in a world where you don't exist."

She turned to me with eyebrows raised. "Well, Mayze will make me a vampire, won't you?"

I gawked at her, taken back by the randomness of the question. "Wh-What?"

"Well, Oliver and Sapphire are living forever," she began, and she began to sheepishly smile. "More importantly, _you're _living forever. I mean, I really do like Alistair here, and one day, I get this feeling that I'm going to love him. When you first talked to Edward, did you just know that things were gonna work?"

I shook my head. "I knew that I wanted them to, but he was very distant. He didn't want me to get close to him. When he let me get close to him, though, yes, I knew."

She looked up at Alistair. "Will _you _change me?"

"Brynk, you need to make sure this is what you want first," I disagreed. "I wouldn't rush into this. Once you're changed, you can't go back. Wait a while—a year. In a year, if you still want to be changed, I'll do it myself."

Her eyes lit up. "Okay! I can do that! I mean, it gives me time to get in all the things I may want to do as a human." Her eyebrows furrowed. "Can I ask you after you've been changed about things that would be better human or vampire?"

"Sure," I laughed. "Any time, Brynk. Don't worry about keeping it a secret anymore, though. Everyone else knows now."

Alistair gave me a wary glance. "Alright, but the amount of humans that know doesn't need to grow anymore. If too many find out, it's only a matter of time before the Volturi hear about it."

"No one else will know," I assured him. "If the Volturi _do _find out, though . . . what'll happen?"

"They'll either demand that everyone is involved be executed, or they'll probably watch everyone not already a vampire or supernatural creature of some sort be changed right there," he said simply. "It's just safer if they don't find out."

"I agree with that," I murmured. Even though I was definitely on my way to being changed, it scared me a little. Really, I didn't need anything else to worry about, but now, I was worried. Would that mean all of the pack imprints who knew have to be changed as well?

That'll go over really well with Bella.


	8. 08: Intense Moments

**here you go! please R&R. I promise. The next part is like, BAM. Action. I just need at least one review before i'll put it up. :3 thanks for continuing to read, despite the fact that i've left you hanging for long periods of time. :\ still. i'm gonna do my best to make that NOT happen again. please just enjoy. :) and review. pretty please? **

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><p>01. Five Years: Tonight Alive<br>02. Stay Close: Fireflight  
>03. Bite My Tongue feat. Oli Sykes: You Me at Six<br>04. Obvious: Hey Monday  
>05. I Must Be Dreaming: The Maine<br>06. Falling Inside the Black: Skillet  
>07. Hurt: Thousand Foot Krutch<br>**08. Operate: Three Days Grace**

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><p>I was being a normal teenage girl for once as I started doing something I had never done. I began fangirling, specifically with a popular boy band that I was slowly becoming a fan of. Their music was nothing like what I listened to, but there was something about it that made me happy—especially that cute Irish boy they had.<p>

In the middle of fangirling, I fell asleep. At some point, Alice got back and put the dress in the closet, and she began talking to Jacob. I couldn't make out everything that was being said, but it actually sounded pleasant.

Then it got scary. As I quietly stepped closer, half asleep but still curious, I heard the words "female vampire." From there, other words pieced it all together.

The vampire after Bella had been smelled. She was here, and she wanted blood—specifically Bella's.

That scared me, a lot. I didn't want to lose Bella, even if we weren't on the same page or even speaking terms. Therefore, when I heard that, I stumbled my way out of my room with my eyes full of tears.

Bella wasn't out here. Just Alice and Jacob and Auggie now, but when Jacob looked at me, something inside of him changed. I can't tell you what it was, but instead of looking at me in rage like I expected, his eyes were soft and full of pain.

Alice sighed. "You were supposed to be asleep."

My lips were quivering. "Promise me that you guys will do whatever it takes to protect her. All of you."

"Mayze, you know we will," Alice insisted. "Don't ever doubt that. Bella's family because she's your family."

"I am _not _her family," Bella surprised us all, including Alice and Jacob. Her eyes were full of absolute rage, betrayal, as she stepped out and looked at me. "And I'm not yours either."

"Bella, just hang on a second," Jacob said softly, which surprised me more than anything else.

Still, Bella was pissed. "Jacob, leave me alone. This is between Mayze and me. Go into our room. Just be quiet."

Jacob . . . literally had no choice, so while his entire being wanted to say more, he had to do what she asked. That actually pissed me off, despite the fact that her words stung my heart. How could she do that to _Jacob_? Just because she had the power didn't mean she had the right.

"That was way too harsh, Bella," I said firmly. "Jacob was just trying to explain to you what was going on. There is no reason to treat him like that."

"Shut up, Elizabeth," she barked at me, and everything inside of me froze. With just one word, all rage morphed into a pain worse than I _ever _remember feeling.

How sad is that? I've been raped and abandoned all at once, and still, Bella hurt me more than any of that.

I knew I was crying, but I didn't care. "Why don't you make me, Bella."

No matter how much she hurt me, she was still my sister, and I wasn't going to do the same thing to her as she did to me.

It seemed to surprise her, but her eyes were still cold. "I don't need your protection. The pack has that covered quite nicely, so you, Elizabeth, and your stupid, sick family can just leave us alone! If it wasn't for you, everything would be just fine!"

That was it for me. Sister or not, she just insulted the people who had helped me. They had become my family just as much as she was, and I wasn't going to let her talk about them like that.

That's why I didn't hesitate to punch her right in the face. "Don't you _ever _talk about them like that! Whether you like me or not, they did absolutely nothing to you! Get your head out of your ass and open your eyes!"

She tried to hit me back, but I blocked the hit by locking her wrist in-between mine and flipping her back onto the ground. It hurt her enough that she didn't try to fight me anymore—only yelled as she painfully stood back up.

Poor Auggie was flipping out, not sure what to do.

"They took the girl I thought was my sister away from me!" she yelled. "Yeah, Elizabeth, they did!"

"They didn't take me away!" I shouted back. "You ran away! Don't you _dare _blame our separation on them! You have no one to blame but yourself! And whether you like it or not, I am your sister!"

"No you're not!" she finally just screamed as loud as she could. "You're some bitch my parents picked up at a hospital. We are _not _sisters."

Of course, she finds a way to hurt me even more.

"That . . . doesn't matter," I whispered, but I felt myself unable to really even stand. My head was spinning, and it felt as if my heart had been viciously ripped out of my chest. I couldn't even breathe right. Somehow, I managed to stumble back, and when I did, I fell right back into arms I always longed to be in.

What a perfect time for him to come back.

"Mayze, let's go," Edward said softly, and his hands slowly wrapped around my arms. His tone was gentle, but I could hear a harsh edge that was meant for Bella.

At that moment, if he wasn't holding me, I would've collapsed. When he took off running, he had to hold onto me where I was safe because I was too shaky to do it. Actually, to say that I was bawling my eyes out was no exaggeration.

I half expected him to take me to the meadow, but he didn't. Instead, he took me somewhere completely new. It was actually really cold and snowy, so I had no idea where we were.

He eventually stopped running, but he didn't even try to set me down. All he did was pull me against his chest so that I could cry into his shoulder while he held me tightly against him. That's how I stayed until I simply couldn't cry anymore.

I hate crying so much that there are no more tears left in your body. It's hard to stay awake after that. I mean, it drains all of your energy, and not only do you look terrible, you feel terrible. Your eyes hurt. You feel empty, and you're so shaky that it just . . . sucks.

Edward didn't speak, not at first. Instead, he just watched me through pained but still very loving eyes as I composed myself and took slow breaths to try and stop the spasms in my chest. That's what they felt like anyways.

"I grew up with her," I said quietly. "Charlie and Renée raised me beside her. As far as I'm concerned, she's my sister. They're my family. I mean, maybe it would be nice to meet my biological mother so I could thank her for doing what was best for me, but that would be it. Just to tell her thank you."

"Mayze, you don't see things the way most people do," he said gently. "I've never met anyone even remotely like you, sweetheart. Bella's pissed. She's pissed at us. She's pissed at you. She's just pissed at everything, and she took it out on you. I don't know why. Also, why is Jacob suddenly _not _thinking terrible thoughts about me? From in his room, he thought directly at me. He said, 'Thank you, Edward. Cheer that girl up. She needs it.' I . . . don't understand."

I shrugged. "I don't know. Honestly. I guess seeing that I actually still care, despite everything she's done to me made him realize that I'm not bad? Or the fact that you guys are willing to do whatever it takes to protect Bella as well. I don't know. Something's changed in him, and I'm hoping that'll mean something will change for Bella as well."

"I wouldn't get your hopes up," he said, almost inaudibly. He was right, and I knew that. Still, a part of me hoped Jacob's sudden change would also change Bella.

I also knew better.

Suddenly, I could feel my heart racing in my chest. For some reason, every thought going through my mind just vanished. All that I could remember was that I was here, wherever here was, with Edward—away from everyone and everything. It was just the two of us, and in less than two weeks, we would be married. He would be mine in every way possible.

Then there was the honeymoon . . . .

Somehow, I think he was thinking the exact same things I was because I could hear his breaths becoming rugged as he stepped closer to me, close enough that our bodies were tightly pressed against each other. I could feel each unnecessary breath he took, and the smell of his breath intoxicated me.

He couldn't take it for very long, just standing there, because he brushed my hair behind my ears carefully and began kissing down my neck, occasionally nibbling at the skin a little to taunt me. It was like he was reminding me what he could easily do.

My eyes fluttered shut, and no matter how hard I tried to fight it, I was smiling brightly. "I missed you."

He didn't really say much, only incoherently murmured, "Mmm," against my skin, but that was enough for me. I liked this.

I'm not sure if he did or not. Before I knew it, I was laying in the snow with Edward on top of me. He was so intent on kissing me that he didn't even bother to make sure he wasn't putting all of his weight on me.

I didn't care. I roughly pulled his lips down to mine, which sparked something wild inside of him. He must've really missed me too because he couldn't seem to keep his hands off of me—or his lips.

At one point, I had to breathe, but his lips were on my collar bone as soon as they left my lips. From my collar bone, they began moving down, and surprisingly enough, his hands were rubbing down my sides as well.

The most surprising thing of this moment was when he began playing with the edge of my sweatpants, letting his finger move just barely underneath my panty line. It hit that sensitive skin just under the panty line, and I actually moaned in surprise and, well, pleasure. That seriously turned me on, and I had never wanted to just say, "Screw it," and have sex with that man—well . . . vampire—as badly as I did right then.

You know, I could go on and on about the intense details of this moment, which got really passionate at some points, but it was something really special. It was like nothing we had ever shared before, but of course, that only made me more excited and nervous for the honeymoon.

I think I'll be better off when it's all over—at least the first night. Of course, Edward was worried more about killing me than anything else. My worries were that I had no idea what I was doing. Really, I mean, I had never done it before with anyone, obviously. Would it come naturally? Would I look stupid?

The biggest fear I had of all was that he wouldn't enjoy it. I mean, think about it. I'm a human. He's a vampire. He's . . . him, this perfect and sexy guy who just somehow loved me, and I'm me, this not so perfect human who, obviously, fell head over heels for this vampire.

See? I have good reason to worry. Still, despite all of my worries, I couldn't wait.

Especially after that.


	9. 09: Bella

**i would REALLY appreciate some reviews. please? :3 for me?**

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><p>01. Five Years: Tonight Alive<br>02. Stay Close: Fireflight  
>03. Bite My Tongue feat. Oli Sykes: You Me at Six<br>04. Obvious: Hey Monday  
>05. I Must Be Dreaming: The Maine<br>06. Falling Inside the Black: Skillet  
>07. Hurt: Thousand Foot Krutch<br>08. Operate: Three Days Grace**  
>09. Last Words: Thousand Foot Krutch<strong>

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><p>Everyone returned home, and to my surprise, Jacob didn't come over as often. I think Bella was still mad at him for not being mad about me bruising her ribs or blacking her eye. He was concerned, of course, but he wasn't mad. He didn't try to stop me.<p>

She deserved it. He knew that, although he would never admit it out-loud.

I stayed at the Cullens' house the rest of the week, though, because my friends were here. During the day, they all hung out with Alistair, Rose, Jasper, Emmett, and Esme, but they didn't mind. Actually, they helped Alice with wedding preparations for the most part.

When they left, I went back home. I missed Charlie, and I _did _promise him to stay there as long as possible. So by Thursday, I was sleeping in my old bed—as soon as my father-daughter night with Charlie was finished.

Edward hunted that night as well while Bella stayed in La Push, due to the fact that they smelled Victoria a few days ago, so it was truly a night for Charlie and me to be alone with, of course, Auggie. It surprised him when I watched ESPN with him because he had no idea I would ever find interest in sports. Usually, I didn't, but Emmett didn't think I could comprehend them, so I was going to learn and prove him wrong.

Charlie leaned back against his recliner with a smile. "This is nice, Mayze. I mean, you'll be moving out soon, so it's nice to have just you and me time. What time tomorrow are you and Edward leaving for Jacksonville?"

"I think we're coming here right after school, getting my stuff, and heading out," I said lightly. "We'll be back late Sunday night."

"Renée can't wait for next weekend," he told me, and hearing the words made my heart race. He noticed my eyes lighting up, too, because he laughed. "What? Didn't realize it was so close?"

I shook my head. "Alice will want to do the final touch ups on everything when we get back. You haven't seen the dress, have you?"

He smiled and shook his head. "I can't wait to either, kiddo. Do you have a picture for your mom?"

"I don't," I said quickly, and I began shuffling into the kitchen for my phone. When I looked for it, though, I didn't find my phone. Instead, I found a pair of red eyes staring back at me, glowing in excitement. They were red eyes that looked scarier than any other normal vampire's I had ever come across—other than Blade's, of course.

She began eyeing me deviously. "Wow. This is a surprise. No protection? That's really odd to me. I know they smelled me a couple of days ago."

Of course. My hat hid my hair, other than the dark under layers, so she thought I was Bella. What about our different scents?

I had no idea how she thought that, but I also didn't question it. I planned to make it stay this way. "They're busy with another vampire."

"Hey, I—what's going on?! Who are you?"

The vampire—Victoria—looked over to me, eyes still dark and devious. "It's a shame Daddy walked in, Bella." In an instant, she was biting his wrist, and Charlie let out a quiet scream of agony while Auggie ferociously began growling at her, trying to bite her. "No! Stop! I'll do whatever you want! Just don't kill him!"

"Kill him?" she laughed, and she threw his now burning wrist back down and approached me, mouth full of his blood. She had no problem simply kicking Auggie off of her either. "That mutt of yours will feel the pain much worse if he has to see what his actions have caused."

Charlie lunged for her, but she grabbed me and ran out the door before he could grab me.

She threw me in the back of a moving truck and slammed it shut. It was only a matter of seconds before we were moving. It was hard, but I managed to stand up and look around. She had taken this from someone currently moving because it was full of stuff.

I had to find some way to make sure she never realized that I wasn't Bella, and luckily—seriously, I am the luckiest girl ever . . . even considering my current problem—the person had lots of hair dye and lots of bottled water, as well as towels.

See? That's pure luck.

I had never dyed my own hair, but I made sure to get it nice and brown by using three bottles of the same dark brown Bella's hair was. Maybe the person moving was a hair stylist? I don't know. Either way, I did my best to properly dye my hair, time it right so it didn't hurt me, dry my hair, mask the smell, and hide the fact that I did it by spilling other random colors of hair spray all over the back. So she wouldn't question why my hair smelled like it, I spilled some of the colors randomly in my hair as well.

And that was how I spent my ride—making sure she never knew that I wasn't Bella.

Honestly, I have no idea how long we were driving, but when the truck suddenly came to a stop, my heart began pounding.

So many things were going through my mind. What about Edward? What would he do? And how was Charlie?

Would they find me? Would Bella even care? How would they explain it?

What was going to happen to my families?

The bright light that was suddenly let in the back hurt, really badly. Victoria was taken aback by the smell, but she didn't question it as she yanked me out of there and into a cornfield.

We walked for a good while, probably about an hour, and the cornfield was still going. She was grinning from ear-to-ear, proud of what she was doing, and suddenly, she threw me down on the ground.

"I know you haven't done anything to me, but I find it very necessary to torture you," she told me. "I want Jacob to feel the pain when he finds your body lifeless and beaten!"

"He'll only hunt you down and kill you!" I screamed at her, which surprised her. "You think this will all be over?"

"As soon as I kill you, I'll wait for him!" she exclaimed. "Don't you get it? There's no reason to live anymore once I kill you. So maybe he will kill me. _Good_. I don't want to live anymore."

"Victoria, we meet again," an all too familiar and chilling voice said casually, and my heart froze in my chest. "Aw. You do remember me!"

"Blade," Victoria said, and she actually smiled at him. "I'm a little busy, so if you don't mind? Can I get to torturing her?"

"I can help," he reminded her. "I know exactly how to do it."

Victoria smiled widely. Of course she knew this was what he was capable of doing, so she gestured to me and took a few steps back, allowing Blade to look right at me and into my eyes.

I was scrambling back away from him. "N-No."

"Oh, yes," he said darkly. "Don't worry. I'm not finished yet."

"It's only a matter of time before the werewolves get here, so I suggest hurrying and moving along," Victoria told him.

He ripped the shirt right off of my body, loving the way tears involuntarily began spilling down my cheeks. I was still trying to get away, but Victoria actually held me down. She just helped him rape me, and she didn't even care!

They were the reason the pack thought vampires were monsters—vampires just like them.


	10. 10: Tracking

**thank you for the review! to answer your question dulcesiita, no. i haven't seen Breaking Dawn Pt. 2. I'm seeing that tonight at 10:02. so excited! :D**

**anyways, here is the surprising chapter 10. :) review for more, please. i have chapter 11 already done, so i will post it once i get a review/favorite for this story.**

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><p>01. Five Years: Tonight Alive<br>02. Stay Close: Fireflight  
>03. Bite My Tongue feat. Oli Sykes: You Me at Six<br>04. Obvious: Hey Monday  
>05. I Must Be Dreaming: The Maine<br>06. Falling Inside the Black: Skillet  
>07. Hurt: Thousand Foot Krutch<br>08. Operate: Three Days Grace  
>09. Last Words: Thousand Foot Krutch<br>**10. Emerald Eyes: Blacklisted Me**

* * *

><p><strong>*Edward*<strong>

Something felt off. I couldn't decide what it was, but I couldn't hunt right. There was too much on my mind worrying me. I wanted to check on Mayze, but I had promised her to take a night for myself while she spent the night with Charlie. So, despite the fact that I felt like I had to go check on her, I went home instead to talk to Carlisle and pack for the fun weekend ahead.

Emmett was at the TV playing his football game while Alice and Rose carefully—at a human pace, too—tied the ribbons around some decoration they were hand making. According to Alice, it gave the wedding a "personal touch" that buying similar items in the store wouldn't do.

Esme was the first to notice my troubled expression. "Is everything alright?"

"I don't know," I sighed. "Maybe I'm just overreacting because she's completely unprotected. I just worry. Something doesn't feel r—" I cut myself off because I smelled a very familiar scent and hear a familiar engine speeding down the driveway.

This peaked everyone's curiosity. Why was Charlie coming in Mayze's car without Mayze? Even Carlisle came downstairs and wanted to see what Charlie had to say.

I couldn't just wait for him to get to the door because I smelled something off. There was a vaguely familiar scent of a vampire attached to him as well.

Oh no.

"Mayze," he managed to get out, and when I scanned his body, I saw that he had been bitten. "A red haired female . . . called her Bella . . . red eyes . . . took her in a . . . moving truck."

My entire body went rigid as I felt Carlisle come up behind me and Charlie's words processed in my mind.

"It's too late for Charlie," Carlisle whispered, and Charlie let out a pained cry. "The venom has spread to his heart."

It wasn't surprising when I smelled a disgusting smell, but I didn't care. How could I have been so stupid?! Of course she would protect Bella, even after all Bella had done to her. But they looked and smelled nothing alike. How was she pulling this off?

I let out a snarl because his thoughts were too jumbled for me to read. "What, Jacob?"

_You . . . know. Look, we got her trail. We're following it. I'm sorry._

"Sorry doesn't get Mayze back!" I exclaimed. "It doesn't change the fact that Charlie's becoming a vampire!"

_WHAT?!_

"Is Bella safe?" I snapped. "Tell me this isn't for nothing!"

_Blade tried to attack. He's back, too. Look. Get Mayze back and change her. As rightful alpha, I give you permission to do so._

Even though I was in so much pain, I was so pissed, and I was so scared, I gave him the tiniest resemblance of a smile. "Thank you, Jacob."

_Find her. I need to talk to her. We'll all help. We can all go together, including Bella. We will find Mayze, and she'll be alright. I promise._

"It's too dangerous to take Charlie and Bella," I disagreed. "Bring Bella, though. She needs to be safe while we do this. Did you scare Blade off at least?"

He nodded his big russet head, and I let out a sigh of relief. _He went the polar opposite direction that Mayze and Victoria did. Let's meet up in ten minutes at the Swan's place. That's where Bella is now._

"That's how you found out," I whispered. "Thank you, Jacob. That would be a big help. We'll get a change of clothes for you all as well."

_Thanks._

And he began howling loudly, which got my entire family to come running. They weren't sure which to be more alarmed at—the fact that Charlie was in Carlisle's arms in the process of changing or the fact that Jacob was here, in wolf form, howling for the others.

"Victoria mistook Mayze for Bella," I said tightly, and I was aware my teeth were clenched together. A part of me was frustrated at her, and I felt guilty about that. She was doing this for Bella, I know, but what about me? How could she do this to _me_? Was that selfish? Sure, but I certainly wasn't living without her. If she didn't come out of this alive, neither would I.

"She's going to be alright, Edward," Alice told me firmly. "Nothing has changed."

I was still doubtful because at any moment, things _could _change, but instead of hesitating, I ran upstairs and got plenty of clothes that we hadn't worn yet that would probably fit each person. I took into account that Leah and Brady were in Phoenix watching over Oliver and Sapphire, so I only got enough clothes from mine, Emmett's, Carlisle's, and Jasper's clothes for each of them. Since I wasn't sure about everyone's sizes, I took multiple sizes in things, just in case.

Once the clothes were stuffed in the back, I called Laurent.

"Edward," he said pleasantly. "How are you?"

"Victoria mistook Mayze for Bella, and she bit her dad," I said bluntly. "Can you guys come and help him through his process?"

"We're actually close anyways," he replied very quickly, tone suddenly serious. "We'll be right over."

After hanging up the phone, I ran straight over to Charlie's house. When I got inside, I began looking for any kind of clue that might get us to her faster.

Bella surprised me. Of course she was here, but she was sitting on the stairs with tears in her eyes. "Edward, what's going on?"

"Your sister has done something . . . very Mayze-like," I told her. I did my best to talk calmly, as if we were friends even, but it was really hard. "Victoria mistook her for you."

"What?!" she practically screamed. "You can't be serious!"

I looked up to meet her eyes, and when her chocolate eyes looked right into my emerald ones, her face went pale. "I am. Completely."

Tears began spilling down her cheeks. "Why the hell would she do this? Go along with it?"

"I don't really know, Bella," I said simply because at this point, I couldn't really pretend I did. "I don't know what goes through her head most of the time."

She continued to surprise me when she whispered, "I am so sorry, Edward."

"Don't apologize to me," I said. "Mayze is the person you've hurt."

She nodded. "I know, and I definitely will, but . . . you're the one who was always there for her when I did. I'm sorry for not listening to her advice and getting to know you, to know your family. You really are capable of feeling."

"More than you understand," I murmured, but I was no longer looking at her. Instead, I was back to hunting for clues.

"I really was the bitch, and I can't believe how stupid I was!" she exclaimed. "God, I am an idiot! I almost pushed my sister away from me to the point of no return! We're both spending an eternity here, and I want to spend that by her side—vampire or not."

"Bella, Mayze would've always been ready to come back to you," I said truthfully. "She wasn't giving up hope. I really am glad you've seen reason, though."

"I'm afraid it might be too late," she breathed, and she was suddenly crying all over again.

Now, I felt obligated to comfort her. It was really awkward for me because I had never seen a side of her that was pleasant. Mayze always talked about it, so I had heard stories, but I had personally never seen it—not really.

Still, I went over and sat down beside her, feeling rather impatient all of the sudden. Why were they taking so long? Every minute that passed was one less minute we had to get Mayze back!

In order to remain calm, I carefully hugged Bella while she cried into my chest. "It won't be too late. I will do everything in my power to get her back."

"I know you will," she said quietly. "You love her more than I can even begin to comprehend, and I really am glad she found you."

I let out a quiet sigh. "I'm glad she found me, too. I'm not the only one, though. The entire pack is coming as well to end this."

"And I'm sure your family is as well," she almost laughed, and she pulled herself out of my arms so she could rub the tears from her eyes. "I want to come with you guys."

"You are," I said honestly. "Carlisle and Esme are driving you because Jacob doesn't feel comfortable leaving you here, especially considering they smelled Blade earlier."

"Has he . . . hurt her before?"

That hurt me deeply inside because it brought up all those memories that were already resurfaced whenever Blade's name was mentioned, or even when I was just sitting around not doing much. I always thought back to the fact that Blade raped and tortured _my _Mayze. He drove her to the darkest point in her life, and I was no help. I hadn't been there to help her, and there wasn't a day that passed that I didn't regret what I had done.

I left her at the worst time. Really, I never should've left.

"I think Mayze needs to be the one to talk to you about that," I finally decided.

That seemed to scare her, but she didn't get to respond because Alice came through the door right about then. She would've smirked at me in any other circumstance—an "I told you so" smirk—but this was a dark circumstance that didn't allow for that.

She began taking Bella out to the car, and I didn't hesitate to take off along the trail with my family and the pack following closely behind. I was grateful that it was night time so most people weren't out and about.

It was very good luck for us, despite the circumstances.

_Don't worry, love. I will find you and kill you myself for this._


	11. 11: Always There

**dulcesiita, you were definitely right. i was screaming, yelling, jumping, crying, and squealing. haha. great movie, though! i absolutely loved it! :D**

**now, please continue to review. :) it makes me happy, and i love your input on things. really, i do.**

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><p>01. Five Years: Tonight Alive<br>02. Stay Close: Fireflight  
>03. Bite My Tongue feat. Oli Sykes: You Me at Six<br>04. Obvious: Hey Monday  
>05. I Must Be Dreaming: The Maine<br>06. Falling Inside the Black: Skillet  
>07. Hurt: Thousand Foot Krutch<br>08. Operate: Three Days Grace  
>09. Last Words: Thousand Foot Krutch<br>10. Emerald Eyes: Blacklisted Me****  
>11. One-X: Three Days Grace<strong>**

* * *

><p><strong>*Mayze*<strong>

I was throwing up again, and Blade walked over to Victoria triumphantly, observing my bruised and scratched body with a proud gleam. "I'm off because they're approaching. Too close for comfort, really."

"Thanks for the help," she murmured.

Blade was grinning wickedly as he eyed me, loving the desperate look I was giving him. This was part of his plan, part of his sick game. "You should know one thing."

I managed to crawl over so that I could attempt to stop him. "No! Don't!"

"This isn't Bella. It's her sister, Mayze. The Cullens are on their way as well. Goodbye."

Victoria's eyes widened in absolute horror, but at this point, it was too late. Blade was gone, so she couldn't do anything. All she could do was attempt to run, but something told me that it didn't matter.

When Rose rushed over to hold my naked body, I felt her body shaking. "Mayze! Come with me."

"There's probably clothes . . . in the truck," I said softly.

She didn't hesitate to take me to the truck, but when she began searching for something for me to put on temporarily, this hit me.

Rosalie was . . . helping me? Hugging me?

My body was trembling. I didn't know what to say, what to think. Despite what I thought at first, I wasn't dying. In fact, I was spared because of Blade. Victoria had no beef with me, so she had no reason to kill me.

Blade left me alive so it could torture me more, what he had done to me.

I began bawling as Rose wrapped a blanket around me, and to my surprise, she pulled me over into her arms. "H-How's Ch-Charlie?"

"He's a vampire now," she said quietly. "The process was very quick for him, and he's already had his first hunt. The Denalis came to help him with the process. From the last update I got, he was adjusting well and might even be able to continue working as chief of police."

I nodded, and despite everything, that made me smile for a moment. Then, when I closed my eyes, everything that had just happened—plus the first time—began clouding my mind and replaying in my head. "B-Blade was here."

"Edward smelled him," she told me. "Emmett, Embry, Seth, and Edward all went after Blade while Jasper, Alice, and the rest of the pack went after Victoria. Don't worry, Mayze. It's almost over—for everyone."

"Thank you, Rose," I whispered. "You've been a really great help."

"That's what sisters do," she said nonchalantly, like her words weren't the most surprising words ever.

My eyes widened in surprise. "Wh-What?"

"You're my sister, and you know, I think I've always known that," she informed me, smiling half-heartedly at my expression more than likely. "I was just so jealous of you because once you're a vampire, you will be the most beautiful creature ever. I fought you for so long, and I hated the fact that you _wanted _to be like us, but now I see why. You belong here, Mayze, and I love you. I'm so glad Edward fell in love with you."

I was shaking still, but I was smiling. "Rose . . . I love you, too. I've always considered you my sister. Just the older one who didn't like her little sister."

That got a laugh from her. "I've noticed that you still care for people who push you away, more than normal people would. I've never met anyone quite like you, Mayze, and I'm so glad I get to spend my eternity with you in it."

After that, we didn't say much, and I began crying again. She pulled my head over onto her shoulder, and in that moment, I felt closer to Rose than I did a lot of people. Like Alice had said from the beginning, Rose and I would be best friends one day—the best of sisters.

It made sense now.

I heard a car approaching, but I didn't even look to see who it was. All I did was cry into Rose's shoulder while Rose continued embracing me.

"Mayze!" I heard Bella cry out, and when I heard tears in her voice, it instantly stopped mine. Honestly, I don't think I've ever jerked my head up like I did just then, and when I looked up, I saw standing beside Carlisle with bloodshot eyes and tear stained cheeks. "What happened to you? What did she do?"

"Nothing," I told her truthfully, but my voice choked. "_She _didn't do anything."

She rushed over to me, and Rose took that as her unspoken cue to leave us alone. To my surprise, she even helped Bella into the truck and pretty much completely closed the door to give us some privacy.

She was bawling as she hugged me. "How could I be so stupid? Of course you're my sister! Of course you are! I was wrong about them. They _are _good people, whether they're people or not. They're actually some of the nicest people I know. I was wrong to think that they had destroyed us when all along, that was me. _I _was the reason we were apart, and I'm sorry, Mayze. You're my sister. I love you, and I have missed you! All along, you were right. I had changed, not you. You've changed, though. You're more mature, happier than you've ever been. Just tell me . . . was this what _really _happened to depress you when they left?"

"At first, yes," I whispered, but despite the fact that I was raped about twenty minutes ago for the second, I was smiling with tears of joy streaming down my face. "It doesn't matter, though, Bella. It's the past, and I'm just happy you don't hate me."

"How could I hate someone who sacrificed her life for me, especially when she had such a great and incredible eternity ahead of her?" she cried, and she ran her fingers through her hair. "Mayze, don't _ever _do something like this again! You scared everyone to death! I just don't understand. Why? After everything I did to you, you still gave up all of that without a single bit of thought or hesitation."

"You're my sister," I said simply. "What's there to think about?"

To my surprise, she began laughing breathlessly, and she pulled me into another hug. "Of course. Mayze, promise me you won't throw all of this away like that again. Not for me."

"I won't promise that because I would do it in a heartbeat," I said gently. "I would do it for anyone in any of my families because family makes sacrifices for each other."

She sighed. "This would be easier if you were a vampire already."

That actually made me laugh, even though it was probably the strangest thing I ever heard from Bella. "Not you too."

She smiled sheepishly. "It's true, though. Now, come on. I've kept you away from everyone else who cares too long."

Rose opened the doors right about then and helped Bella step down, but with me, she carried me over to Carlisle's car and sat me down in the backseat carefully.

Carlisle examined me, making sure nothing was severely damaged, and he began bandaging all the cuts so that they would stop bleeding. Before long, everyone chasing Victoria was back with triumphant gleams in their eyes.

They all also had clothes in the backseat, so they got dressed before coming to see me. The fact that I was wearing nothing but a blanket didn't surprise anyone.

Carlisle handed me a set of clothes, though. I could tell they were Edward's clothes because I knew his style. I was very grateful, even if it was just a t-shirt and boxers. It was better than just a blanket.

Quil walked over and knelt down in front of me when Rose put me back in the car after I changed in the back of the moving truck. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good," I told him, and somehow, it was true. I got my favorite Bella back, and Rose was finally going to stop hating me. "Did you get her?"

"We got her," Jacob told me. "Mayze, this is crazy. You never should've done this. If she knew it wasn't you, she would've gone to La Push, and we would've stopped her there."

"There was no way of knowing for sure that it would've happened that way," I reminded him. "Jacob, I don't regret what I did. I only regret that I wasn't strong enough to at least slow Blade down."

His eyes widened. "Mayze, don't you think you're trying a bit too hard to keep up with the supernatural?"

"I'm becoming a little like a vampire, more and more every day," I said simply. "There was a chance of slowing him down enough that they would be able to catch him. I just wasn't strong enough. I'm too weak."

"Don't you _dare _say you aren't strong," Jacob said, voice firm and full of a strange pain. "You're the strongest girl I know, and I can't believe I almost missed having you in my life forever. Mayze, you've done nothing but protect everyone that you love from the very beginning. You've done nothing but give everyone everything you have so they would be happy and okay. I made things worse, and I'm sorry. Truly, Mayze, I am, and I hope you find it in you someday to forgive me."

"I was never mad at you, Jake," I said truthfully, and I smiled sheepishly. "You made my sister happier than anyone else ever could. I've always been grateful for that."

"I owe you so much, Mayze," he insisted. "You protected Bella with your life, and you have no idea how much that means to me—especially considering how we were acting beforehand. I'll make it up to you one day."

"Come to my wedding next Saturday, and we'll call it even," I suggested.

"I will most definitely be there," he laughed. "I wouldn't miss you making the best decision of your life."

It surprised everyone when Embry, Seth, and Emmett came back alone. In an instant, every bad scenario that could've possibly occurred began rushing through my mind, and I shattered on the inside.

Did he kill Edward? Edward was dead! Or maybe he just somehow managed to capture him?

No, no, no. Not Edward.

I couldn't breathe, couldn't do anything. I'm pretty sure my heart even stopped in my chest as the worst possible outcomes continued to play in my mind.

_I can't lose him, not today._

Of course, I also saw his side. By protecting Bella, I put so much pain onto him that it just wasn't right or fair. It made me feel absolutely terrible and guilty, but more than that, I was scared. Heartbroken. Destroyed. Did Blade kill him?

"No," I breathed through tears. At this point, I was shaking so badly that it looked like I was having serious drug withdrawals. "Emmett?"

"Mayze, dear, breathe," Emmett said quickly as he rushed over in front of me. "He's okay. We lost Blade, but he refused to give up. Blade's . . . really sticking it to him."

That got me bawling all over again, but in that moment, I had so many people rushing over to hug me that I honestly couldn't believe it. Rose, Jake, Bella, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Esme, Carlisle, and Quil all did their best to hug me, but instead, they all backed up and let Bella do it.

She clutched me tightly against her. "Shh. Mayze, breathe. It's going to be okay. This is something that will be hard on both of you, but you have to remember that this isn't in any way your fault. You and Edward will get through this together." Then, she kissed my cheek softly but still hugged me close. "There's also the fact that you're getting married in a week from tomorrow."

I'm sure everyone could hear my heart rate rapidly increase in my chest, and like Bella had hoped, that thought made me smile. Realizing that Edward was in so much pain, that Blade was succeeding in his plan to torture the two of us very slowly, sucked. It killed me inside, but she was right. I was bonding myself to him in the last way possible, and I would have him through it all. I would have him. I would have Embry. I would have Rose. I would have Bella. I would have Emmett. I would have Seth. I would have Jake. I would have Esme. I would have Alice. I would have Carlisle. I would have Quil. I would have Charlie. I would have Jasper.

This made me smile widely, and that's why my thought from earlier still stuck in my mind.

I was the luckiest girl in the world.


	12. 12: Dire Need

**dulcesiita, OH MY TIGERS. I flipped my crap. quite often. it was quite sad. everyone in our theater was like, "WHAT?!" i was very angry and crying. then i was so relieved that i cried more. haha.**

**now, this chapter may be unexpected. if you don't like it . . . well, sorry. it's how i did it. please review, though, and tell me what you think. i'm a little nervous about the ending of this chapter, how you might feel about it, but it's where i thought this should go.**

**the song chapter? yes. it's One Direction. their new album is actually really good, personal opinion. i love this song, and the lyrics fit perfectly. so, here ya go.**

**also! i have made a link to the YouTube playlist of these songs if you want to check it out. it is listed below.**

**(the youtube . com part before) playlist?list=PLhpRMXKSgmzdXlM6Go9fSvIScEA 3HzdF4&feature=mh_lolz**

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><p>01. Five Years: Tonight Alive<br>02. Stay Close: Fireflight  
>03. Bite My Tongue feat. Oli Sykes: You Me at Six<br>04. Obvious: Hey Monday  
>05. I Must Be Dreaming: The Maine<br>06. Falling Inside the Black: Skillet  
>07. Hurt: Thousand Foot Krutch<br>08. Operate: Three Days Grace  
>09. Last Words: Thousand Foot Krutch<br>10. Emerald Eyes: Blacklisted Me****  
><strong>**11. One-X: Three Days Grace  
><strong>12. Rock Me: One Direction<strong>

* * *

><p>After a while, they decided that it was safer to leave the scene. Police were surely looking for the moving truck, so we had to move away from it—after Emmett and Jasper went to make sure there were no traces of evidence in the back of the truck that could link me to the crime.<p>

Carlisle and Esme had to take Bella back in the car, but Rose did me a huge favor. She took me after Edward, who wasn't too far. Everyone else left back towards Forks, and although I had no idea where we currently were, I was grateful that I was here and not Forks.

I was surprised to find Edward in the middle of a field just squatting there, looking out towards something. He wasn't moving, wasn't even breathing. Sure, it was an unnecessary action, but still. He usually did for appearances and out of habit.

Rose didn't hesitate to take me over beside him, but she didn't say anything. All she did was press her lips softly against my forehead and then disappear, probably back home.

I had no idea what to say. What could I say? I'm sorry? I wasn't sorry, not really. Sure, I hated that I put him through this, and I felt guilty, but I wasn't sorry that I did it.

Instead, I started with something that surprised even myself. "We should probably get back soon. I still have to pack for this weekend, not to mention get a picture of my dress to give to my mom . . . after we leave so you can't read her mind."

"Are you serious, Mayze?" he asked quietly, voice impassive. "We can't go to Jacksonville, not now."

"Why not?" I protested. "Mom's really looking forward to it. Besides, we _need _something like this."

"What we _need _is to kill that sick bastard once and for all," he said darkly. I was standing behind him, so I couldn't see his face, but I knew this wasn't good. "His plan is working perfectly, and we're letting that happen."

"Look, if I had known Blade would be there, I—"

"You still would've done exactly what you did," he said simply, and he actually turned to look up at me. When he saw me, the surprise was obviously there, but he barely showed it. "Wow."

My lips quirked to the side. "Yeah . . . it worked, though."

"How did you manage to do that in the back of a moving truck?" he asked curiously, grateful he found a way to change the subject.

"She found a moving truck full of hair stuff, so I think she stole it from a person who owns at a salon," I murmured, and I surprised him again by smiling. "Did you know that I'm the luckiest girl in the world?"

His eyes darkened all over again. "How can you say that?"

"Well, besides the obvious, that is pure luck, Edward," I said lightly, now frowning at how he didn't believe me. "If that wasn't there, she would've found out that I wasn't Bella."

"We were close," Edward told me, eyes tightening. "If you hadn't done that, she would've found out, but it would've been too late. If she had found out, B—" He cut himself off, though, because he couldn't say the name. Honestly, I think if he could cry, he would be. "H-He wouldn't have gotten to you."

"Oh, he would have," I disagreed. "It could've been a lot worse, too. How do you know he wouldn't have taken me away or even killed me? Edward, this is a game to him, and eventually, he'll get tired of playing."

"That's what sucks most about this, Mayze!" he exclaimed suddenly, voice full of rage that made me jump as he stood to his feet and sharply turned to face me. "He won't ever get tired of playing! He's _waiting _for you to become a vampire. He's not even _close _to being done with you, and he will draw it out as much as he possibly can. This is fun to him. We killed his mate, and he wants to slowly torture us. We already feel pain greater than he does, but he doesn't care. This isn't revenge anymore. This is just pure entertainment."

I could feel the tears rolling down my cheeks, but I shook them away. "We'll stop him, Edward. This will all be over."

"No it won't," he whispered. "We'll never forget about this. The memories? They'll haunt you forever."

"I'm fine," I lied, but I knew that no one would believe it, even some total stranger. "Really."

"You can stop pretending that you are because you're not," he said softly, and he took me in his arms suddenly. All I could do in that moment was cling to him as I broke down. Of course I wasn't alright. Maybe certain aspects of my life were great, but this brought me to a point of total meltdown.

I didn't deserve my family, didn't deserve Edward. Clearly, I deserved to be raped for something I did, so this was my fault. All of it.

Maybe it was karma. Maybe it's genetic, or maybe karma was getting back at my biological father for raping my mom. I wasn't sure, but it hurt to think about. I was . . . just like my mom, except hers only happened once at the hands of a human.

Breaking down like this, really letting it hit me . . . I felt so dirty, so vulnerable and weak.

"Maybe you should just forget about me," I whispered suddenly, before I could even think about it.

Edward's grip only tightened on me. "Why did you say that? You know better."

"I'm no good for you," I insisted, voice choked with sobs. "I'm a dirty, worthless whore! You'll be better off without me."

I couldn't stop myself from looking up at his face when he didn't say anything. What I saw didn't help me, at all. I just cried even harder, which I didn't think was possible.

"And I make your life hell, every day," I said quietly. "All the time, you fight what you _really _want—my blood. You're just better off without me!"

His face showed more pain than I had _ever _seen. To say that he was crying was no lie. There was something wet streaming down his face. Venom, maybe? Either way, he looked absolutely devastated, more so than when I found him.

"Don't ever say that," he finally said, but I could barely hear him.

"Why not?" I snapped, unsure why I was suddenly angry. That's just where the emotions took me, and though I was shaking, I managed to push him away from me. "It's true! I'm disgusting! My biological father raped my mom, and I guess it runs in the family! Obviously I did something to deserve this, and you don't deserve to have to go through this, too! Do what's best for yourself!"

"I am!" he yelled right back at me, which shocked me. Even with the tears on his face, he was just as mad. Neither of us were mad at each other, but we were mad at the situation. At what had happened. "Don't you get it, Mayze? _You _are what's best for me! I care too damn much about you to even notice you have a heartbeat anymore! It doesn't even phase me because I. Love. You! I can't live without you, Mayze. I really thought I had made that quite clear."

"You can, if you give it time," I mumbled. "It's what's best for you. For your family."

"_Our _family," he very bitterly snapped. "You know as well as I do that they're you're family, too, and next weekend, legally, they will be."

That changed my thought process instantly. Next weekend? Oh goodness. Yes! I was getting married! To Edward, nonetheless! Maybe he would be better off without me, but we were both at a point where we needed each other. It was something inevitable, something we couldn't help.

He surprised me when he stepped closer, placing his hand on my heart as his breathing became rugged. "I am never leaving you, _ever_, and don't you dare tell me to again. You know that I can't, and I also know that you can't live without me. I made a promise to never leave you again, and I won't. Not ever."

"I'm sorry," I began crying all over again, but his hand on my racing heart only seemed to make the rest of my body forget how to work properly. I couldn't breathe, couldn't swallow, and crying only made this hurt. Still, I didn't want him to take his hand off. Something about this made me feel like he had a physical hold on my heart, and it sent a tingling electric current rushing through every part of my body, all the way to the ends of my toes.

But it hurt because the tears and crying was fighting all of this.

He hugged me tight against him once again, letting his arms slid up my back as he literally pushed me against him. "Mayze, love, don't be sorry. You've done nothing wrong."

I began clenching my fingers around his shirt, aware my body was shaking. I couldn't stop crying, couldn't stop clinging to him, because I realized now that I _did _need him. I needed him to get through this, to move on. I needed him to survive, to live. Ever since boys stopped having cooties and I saw girls around me talking about how much they _needed _their boyfriend, who they would break up with a few weeks later, I always told myself that I would never need another person. I would be independent.

Yet here I was. I needed Edward more than air. I knew that there was no moving on from this, moving on from the first time, without him.

Very quietly with a quivering voice, I began looking up at his emerald eyes, brighter than normal due to the "tears" in them. "I n-need you."

"And I need you," he said back, voice the softest and most tender whisper. "I can't live in a world where you're not there, Mayze. Maybe this will be hard, but we'll get through this."

"Together," I said, voice quite firm considering how messy I was inside—probably outside, too. "You and me, forever . . . the memories may always be there, but we'll be happy together. He can't take that away from us."

That made him smile, which in turn made me smile. "No, Mayze. He can't. You and I . . . we're a package deal."

I smirked a little up at him. "I love that."

Something about that moment made my heart cringe, and before I even thought about it, I was kissing him very passionately. That moment in the woods, where we tested him . . . I began testing him again, but there was no warning this time. Still, he went with it and seemed much more controlled. Something about the way he held me as our tongues slid together proved to me that he could overcome what he is and make love to me.

That was all I could think about, and as I did, something inside of me changed. The more I thought about making love to Edward, the better I felt inside. Rape . . . it was awful, a horrid thing to experience, but . . . sex wasn't bad if done willingly on both sides.

I had never craved it more than I did now, but it didn't feel like a craving. Every part of my body ached for him, to have him in this one way, and as I clung to him, I realized that I wanted it right then. Sure, we didn't have long to wait, but I didn't want to wait.

I surprised him once again when I began shakily unbuttoning his shirt. "I-I n-need you."

His grip on me tightened as he suddenly pulled away, his eyes carefully studying my face. "Mayze . . . are you sure, sweetheart? Absolutely sure?"

I barely even nodded, but I knew he saw it. "Before I'm left alone with my thoughts again, I need to know what it's like to experience this on _my _terms."

That brought out pain in his eyes, but as he pulled me into his arms, my heart began soaring. This was most definitely not rejection, although he was confusing me as to what he was doing. Still, as he ran, I just held him close and began preparing myself.

Maybe I wasn't ready for this . . . and if I wasn't, I could just tell him. But it was different from what Blade did to me. I wanted to know what making love was like.

And technically . . . .

We barely even slowed down to grab the blanket from the moving truck, and that's when it all made sense. Of course, we couldn't go home and do this. If we were this close, surely we could hold out. We had waited this long.

Still, even realizing that we were so close . . . I needed this.

He found a quiet and beautiful spot in the woods to lay the blanket, and as I stood here watching him, my heart began pounding and racing in my chest. I know he could hear it because he was actually smiling, and when he turned to me, he simply held out his hand.

"Come make love with me, baby girl."

I placed my hand carefully onto his cold one, the cold skin that grew warmer each day, and nervously smiled. "Thank you."

"Mayze, I need this, too," he said softly, and he swept me off my feet with his smile growing wider each second. "I need you, Mayzie."

The words . . . he had already said them, but the tone he said them in, all husky and full of the desire he always fought . . . they sparked something inside of me, and I couldn't do anything but start to kiss him all over again.

I could feel the clothes coming off underneath both of us, and when my bare chest was pressed against his, I began feeling nervous in the pit of my stomach again. Was . . . was I something he was attracted to?

Edward knew I needed to breathe, so he began kissing my neck lovingly as he gently held my body and took everything slow—for me. "I love you."

My eyes fluttered shut, and very genuinely, I began happily smiling, especially when his lips began trailing down, stopping on my collar bone while I braced myself. "You need to know something."

"And what would that be?" he asked curiously, eyes staying set in mine despite how badly I knew he wanted to look at me, and I had to admit. It was hard to realize that he was practically naked in front of me and my eyes _weren't _on that chest of his.

"Blade didn't . . . by medical terms, I'm still a virgin, Edward," I said quietly, hoping the mention of the rapes didn't ruin the mood.

For just a moment, I saw anger and pain, but when he heard what I had to say, his smile grew wide, but he looked puzzled. "What?"

I quirked my lips to the side and shrugged my shoulders. "Well, I guess he somehow found out how much I hate the idea of anal and how much it freaks me out, so he figured it would be better to do it that way."

Edward very carefully laid me back on the blanket, and as he hovered over me, a devious gleam flickered across his eyes. "Well in that case, my dear, I will gladly take your virtue from you."

Despite the circumstances, I laughed. "Take it. That's okay with me, especially considering I'm taking yours as well." I didn't like the stalling, so I just eagerly began kissing along his jawbone, down his neck. "Enough stalling, mister."

He let out a breathless laugh. "As you wish." And he began kissing me with a new kind of intensity. This wasn't a kiss of pure love and romance. This was a kiss to show to me the dire need he felt for me, the frustration he felt towards the situation, and all the pain inside of him. All the worry, fear . . . it was all poured into this hard and passionate kiss.

The world set on fire.


	13. 13: Jacksonville

**dulcesiita, thank you! i am so glad you liked the ending! :) and i'm also glad you like the song. :)**

**now, there's another One Direction coming your way simply because the lyrics sort of fit. not as well as the last one, but i'm in a hurry. if i look and find it doesn't fit as well as i thought and find a better, i'll change it. for now, it's another One Direction.**

**please continued to read, review, and enjoy. :)**

* * *

><p>01. Five Years: Tonight Alive<br>02. Stay Close: Fireflight  
>03. Bite My Tongue feat. Oli Sykes: You Me at Six<br>04. Obvious: Hey Monday  
>05. I Must Be Dreaming: The Maine<br>06. Falling Inside the Black: Skillet  
>07. Hurt: Thousand Foot Krutch<br>08. Operate: Three Days Grace  
>09. Last Words: Thousand Foot Krutch<br>10. Emerald Eyes: Blacklisted Me****  
><strong>**11. One-X: Three Days Grace  
>12. Rock Me: One Direction<strong><br>13. They Don't Know About Us: One Direction**

* * *

><p>I didn't feel a single bit of regret. Actually, so much pain and worry went away simply because I made love with Edward. Maybe it was wrong and at a bad time. Sure, we weren't married yet, but you know what? I needed that. It proved to me that sex, in essence, is beautiful. If shared with that one special person and it isn't just sex, it's something I honestly would never get tired of doing—especially with Edward.<p>

I'm not going to lie and say that it didn't hurt because it did, but it was a pain that was also beautiful. It was something that had to happen, but it was so easy to get around because of all the other stuff going on. Of course, I was sore, but I didn't care. I was so happy for the moment that nothing else mattered except him. Except that moment.

He was laying on top of me with his lips pressed together, eyes full of pure delight as he looked down at me. "I don't think I've ever seen you glow quite like this."

I continued to smile up at him and shrugged my shoulders. "You haven't either. I really did need that. Thank you."

"Stop it," he laughed, and he very quickly leaned down to kiss me lovingly. It was by no means a quick kiss, but it wasn't as long as some others we had shared. "You realize you don't have to thank me every time we make love and also for doing what I needed to do as well, right?"

I smiled sheepishly up at him. "Okay. So . . . we should probably be heading back now. I would stay just like this forever, but we have a flight to catch soon, and I still have to pack . . . and figure out what I'm gonna do with my hair to avoid suspicion with Renée."

He carefully stood up, sliding on a pair of boxers and helping me stand to get dressed as well. "Alright."

"First . . . I need to see Charlie."

Edward immediately tensed, even as I began getting dressed in his clothes. "Mayze . . . that's not such a good idea."

"He's my dad," I said softly. "He won't hurt me."

"We don't know that," he whispered.

"Edward, he tried to fight off a vampire to save me," I disagreed. "I know that. Please? Can we try it?"

I found that I had a strange new power over him. Really, I don't know why or where it came from, but he didn't argue. He just sighed and said, "We'll try." Normally, he would've continued arguing, but for whatever reason, he just agreed and finished getting dressed. Somehow, he disposed of the blanket, and then, we were off.

I was surprised how long it took to get back to Forks, although it shouldn't have surprised me. If she took me during the night and we got there in the morning, that clearly meant that it was a good way away. Still, Edward was really fast.

Charlie was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with a bright smile on his face. Seeing his eyes a dull red shocked me to the point I just stared at him, my eyes rapidly blinking, and he just laughed. "They told me I would want to kill you."

I cocked an eyebrow at him, smirking a little. "And you don't?"

He shook his head. "You smell really good, tempting, but you're my little girl. I'm not losing you."

That brought happy tears to my eyes, and I shook my head. "Not ever."

Bella came walking down the stairs, a comforting smile on her lips. It wasn't surprising to find Jacob following after her, nor was it surprising to find a few of the Denalis still here as well. Edward wasn't saying anything, but in that moment, I wished I knew what he was thinking.

Jacob actually laughed at me. "You look . . . oddly happy."

"I'm leaving to see my mom in a few hours," I began. "I'm getting married a week from tomorrow. My dad isn't dying either, and he doesn't want to kill me right now. Everything is falling into place, although I do wonder how you guys explained us not being at school?"

"It's sunny out," Edward murmured. "We went camping while you and Bella stayed home with strep. That's how the story will go anyways, although I'm not crazy about the 'leaving you here sick' part."

I made a face. "That sucks, but it's not as bad as other illnesses."

Bella laughed. "You're just mad because you had it twenty times in two months."

"Well, you would be pissed too!" I insisted, and I couldn't help but laugh. "Where's Auggie, byt the way? She normally attacks me by now."

"They took her to the Cullen's place while Charlie adjusted," Bella explained. "It'd be realy tragic for him to lose it and kill the dog."

I nodded very quickly before taking a deep breath. "Alright. I need to pack. Our plane leaves soon."

Charlie snorted. "Have fun with that. Before you go, Alice is coming over with your dress. She wants you to take a picture, but she won't let any of us see."

I nodded. "Yeah. No one but her is allowed to see it. Renée gets to see the picture after we leave."

Edward sighed. "I have to wait a whole week."

Bella grinned at him. "That's part of the fun of weddings."

* * *

><p>It was really fun trying on my wedding dress for the first time. Alice went ahead and fitted it and found something that needed to be fixed, so she planned to work on it while we were gone. Still, it was good enough for the pictures for Renée, and trust me. We got a lot.<p>

Then, it was time to head to the airport. The entire way to the airport, I couldn't stop holding onto Edward in some form. When in the car, I was holding his hand and going on about some of the fun stories I had from Phoenix. In the airport, I had my arm locked in his.

Surrounded by all the people, I felt very small, like they were staring at me and judging me. I was a frail, bruised and cut up mess with hair all kinds of messed up. Who wouldn't stare?

The easiest thing to do with my hair was put it up. I would have to decide what to do with it later.

While waiting for them to call our flight number, Edward was playing with my ponytail. "I'm not gonna lie, Mayzie. The dark hair? It's sexy."

I felt my cheeks warming up a little, mostly because of what he made me think about. "I may keep it dark. It's always been blonde, but it's growing on me."

He smiled. "Me too."

I stuck my tongue out at him and then giggled, which surprised me. As soon as the sound got out, I regretted it because people began looking over at us—those who weren't already staring. When people looked at me, I began feeling sick, self-conscious, and sad again.

Edward noticed and leaned down so that his lips were brushing against my ear with every word. "You, Mayze, are mine. Forever. About two hours ago, we made love in the most incredible way. I didn't kill you, which is good because we're getting married in a little more than a week, and I would very much love to do that again. You're quite sexy . . . but more than that, you're the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on."

Just like he hoped, that got my heart soaring as I let out a soft squeal of excitement. "We did do that, didn't we?"

His eyes widened a little as he thought back to it, and his smile grew devious. "Oh, we definitely did, and I'm all for going again."

I couldn't help but laugh some more. "Of course you are, but next Saturday isn't far away."

He made a face. "I figured you would say that, but you know what? Whatever makes you happy, my love."

I hated it when guys did that—bowed down to the every wish and command of their girlfriend. This was different, though. He was still willing to stand up for what he wanted, and he wasn't completely one hundred percent whipped. Only ninety-nine point nine, nine, nine, nine, nine percent.

Just thinking about that made me chuckle some more, and when I did, he surprised me by swooping down and placing a soft kiss on my lips. "Your laugh . . . it's so beautiful, Mayzie. I don't ever want it to go away."

"It won't," I promised, and I flashed him a toothy smile.

That made him laugh. "Mayze . . . I don't know if I've ever told you this, but you make me feel alive. I mean, I feel normal, _human_, with you sometimes. I forget everything else except that we're together, and it's just something I can't comprehend."

I began softly rubbing my fingers across the back of his hand. It wasn't cold, not really. It actually felt rather normal—not hot or cold. Still, I was electric as his words made my heart race faster than I remember it ever going, and I smiled brilliantly up at him.

"I love you."

* * *

><p>I slept most of the flight. Sleep was something I got none of the night before, so it was good to get some in before we got to Jacksonville. If I was too tired, Renée would worry, and I really didn't want that.<p>

When we got to the airport, I was actually surprised to find Renée and Phil waiting on us. Renée looked very eager, whereas Phil was just sitting beside her, watching the random people around them pass by.

Edward smiled down at me. "There's your mom, Mayze."

Since he was being a gentleman and took all of the bags before I could get them, except for my carryon with the pictures, Pookie, and my electronic devices I wanted to bring, I was free to literally run over and hug Renée.

She squealed and threw her arms around me. "Mayze! My baby girl, hi!"

I clutched her tightly against myself as tears filled my eyes. "Hey, Mom."

A part of me knew that seeing her again would make me cry simply because it had been so long. The last time I saw her was in the hospital after waking up from my vampire-induced coma, so it was great to see her on good terms.

"I've missed you, Mayze," she cried into my hair. "You've gotten so big! And look at what you've done with your hair! I really like it."

I wiped the tears away from my face and laughed. "I've missed you, too, Mom." I could feel Edward's presence behind me, so I turned to partially face him. "Mom, Phil, you remember Edward, right?"

Edward smiled pleasantly at her. "It's a pleasure to see you again, ma'am. You as well, sir."

Phil was eyeing Edward in a strange way whereas Renée was just glowing. "Still just as sweet as ever. I mean it, Edward. Call me Renée!"

"Why'd you two decide to get married so soon?" Phil asked curiously, eyes slightly narrowed. "Just curious."

Edward's eyes tightened only slightly, but he kept the pleasant smile on his face. "We decided that we had no reason to wait, and with us moving off to the same college, it makes it easier to wait until marriage."

"So for sex, in essence?" he clarified.

Oh. I see why Edward looked tense and slightly angry, and I could feel anger myself. "Phil, it's not like that. It's just another reason. We're getting married because we want to spend the rest of our lives together. Why wait?"

"Maybe because you're seventeen?" he suggested. "Just barely seventeen at that. You don't know what you want in life. You haven't even met that many people there in Forks. There's a whole other world of people."

My mouth fell open a little. "Okay? I lived in Phoenix, Arizona most of my life. I may be seventeen, but I know what I want in life. I want to spend the rest of my life with Edward."

"Phil, stop it," Renée said firmly. "You know as well as I do that Mayze isn't like any other seventeen year old girl. She's smarter, more mature, and more capable of making adult decisions."

"It's not Mayze I'm concerned with," he said, and his eyes moved back up to Edward.

"Sir, I love her more than I can even explain," Edward said simply. "I want nothing more than to spend forever with her, and there will _never _be anyone else. She's the only one for me. I need her."

I decided it was best to stop the argument where it was, so I locked my hand in Edward's and smiled tensely at Renée. "Well, all ready to go."

She nodded in agreement, smiling softly in apology. "Come on, you two. You'll love the house. It's so neat, and we've even got an indoor pool!"

This could actually be a lot of fun.


	14. 14: The Dark Side

**alright. this chapter takes an unexpected turn. i love doing that, but most importantly, i'm glad you've liked what you've read so far. :) thank you, dulcesiita, for continuing to review. i'm sure i don't have to ask, but please keep reviewing? :3**

* * *

><p>01. Five Years: Tonight Alive<br>02. Stay Close: Fireflight  
>03. Bite My Tongue feat. Oli Sykes: You Me at Six<br>04. Obvious: Hey Monday  
>05. I Must Be Dreaming: The Maine<br>06. Falling Inside the Black: Skillet  
>07. Hurt: Thousand Foot Krutch<br>08. Operate: Three Days Grace  
>09. Last Words: Thousand Foot Krutch<br>10. Emerald Eyes: Blacklisted Me****  
><strong>**11. One-X: Three Days Grace  
>12. Rock Me: One Direction<strong><br>**13. They Don't Know About Us: One Direction  
><strong>14. Cry Me a River: Michael Bublé<strong>

* * *

><p>After getting settled in, we all watched a movie. Phil had to leave for baseball practice, but it was good bonding time for the three of us. She ended up ordering pizza while Phil stayed out and went to the bar with some of his friends.<p>

"What do you say we all go swimming?" Renée asked curiously before the movie was even over. "I say we do a diving contest."

I began biting my lip nervously. "Uh, Mom? I sorta never learned how to swim . . . ."

"Well, all the more reason to go!" Edward insisted. "We have to teach you."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "You sure?"

"Of course," he murmured, and he held his hand out for me to grab. "Come on, love. Let us teach you to swim."

Renée actually squealed like a teenager watching a love movie at the love scene that makes the movie. "I'll go get my swimsuit on!"

Edward was smiling after her, but when his gaze turned back to me, his eyes softened into a gentle look of pure love. "Let's go get changed."

I took his hand carefully and began hugging his arm. "Edward . . . what about the bruises and cuts?"

"I'll work on that," he murmured. "He's not ruining this trip."

"Help me change?" I asked lightly, voice casual even though I knew this would excite him very much.

You have no idea how fast that boy got us to the room and closed the door. Really, it was quite funny.

* * *

><p>With my bikini that Alice got me for my birthday on, a black halter-top bikini with bright blue lace around all the edges, I began looking at all the places Blade hurt me. It wasn't too bad, but it looked really suspicious. Edward had to think for a minute about how to cover it up, but once we were both good, we left for the living room to follow Renée to the pool.<p>

Unfortunately, though, we didn't find Renée in the living room. Instead, we found Phil, and he was drunk out of his mind. Besides the fact that he was drunk, he was pissed.

"What the hell are you wearing?" he growled at me. "Does your dad really let you wear that?"

"Well, first of all, I don't swim, ever, so he's never seen me in a bathing suit," I said simply, eyebrows furrowing.

He was stumbling around, lips turned into a deep frown. "Y-You look like a whore. This is why he wants to marry you! You're so damn sexy that he wants to keep you around with him. It's not because he loves you."

My eyebrows rose. "You did _not _just call me sexy."

He actually hiccupped. "Go put some clothes on, you dirty slut. Bet your daddy let's you have sex whenever you want."

I gaped at him. "Back off of Charlie! He's more of a father than you'll _ever _be, so leave him alone! You don't know _anything_, so stop acting like you do!"

He surprised me when he reached back and slapped me, hard. "I'm your dad too, you stupid bitch! You'll learn to respect me!"

Edward surprised us all when he shoved Phil back away from me. "If you ever lay another fucking finger on her, I won't hesitate to hurt you."

"Some fiancé!" Phil scoffed. "It's called discipline! You should learn some!" Then, he looked back to me. "Mayze, I don't give you permission to marry him."

"I didn't ask," I said simply. "I'm marrying him in about a week. Stop me."

"I will," he slurred, and he grabbed my wrist tightly before I could react. When he did, all the memories of earlier came flooding through my mind, and I actually began crying in fear. He didn't hesitate to punch me in the face, right along my jaw. "What? Never been punished?"

Edward surprised me once again when he punched Phil right in the face, breaking his nose without trouble. "You sick bastard! Keep your hands off of her!"

Phil started to rush at Edward, despite the fact that he had hit him pretty damn hard. He was screaming as he did, but Edward didn't hesitate to fight right back. Really, I was impressed that he was controlling himself enough to _not _kill him.

He had Phil slammed into the wall with his shirt bunched up in his fists. "Don't you _ever _touch her again! And don't say another word about Charlie! You don't even know him! More than that, you don't know me!"

Phil kicked Edward in the face but was surprised to find that it only hurt his foot. "What the hell is wrong with you? Are you made of metal?"

"Phil, stop!" Renée cried out. "What's going on here?"

Edward dropped Phil, letting him crash into the ground with a strong force. While Phil moaned in pain, I turned to my mom with wide eyes. "Uh . . . ."

Renée's eyes were full of tears. "He hurt you, didn't he?"

My eyebrows furrowed. "Mom? How did you know that?"

She held her arm out towards me, and I saw hand shaped bruises, some fresh and some older, lining her arm. More than that, she began rubbing her face gently, and I saw a deep black color around her eyes.

I was crying as I turned back to Phil. "You bastard!"

He was glaring. "Renée, you promised."

"You beat my baby girl!" Renée screamed back at him. "Phil, that's it. I can't do this anymore. This is the last straw! I'm leaving, right now. Mayze, Edward? Come with me. Get your things."

"Oh, you're leaving?" he yelled after her. "And where the hell do you think you're gonna go? Everything's in my name! We sold the house in Phoenix! You have nowhere!"

"She's coming with me!" I yelled right back after him, and when he stood up, I quickly pulled Renée out of there and off towards their room. "Grab a few things. Only stuff you can't replace."

Renée was crying, but the thing that surprised her most was that she heard more fighting in the other room. I actually didn't even question it until I heard a gunshot, which Renée began screaming out in agony about. It hurt her so bad to wonder what happened that she couldn't even stand and fell to her knees.

I knew Edward was okay. I just wasn't so sure about Phil.

When I rushed into the room, despite Renée's cries for me to stay behind, I found Phil laying on the ground with Edward's eyes tightened. There was blood coming out of Phil's head, but Edward didn't even seemed phased.

"He's not dead, if that's what you're wondering," he murmured. "He's just unconscious. I'll get all the stuff, and we'll head home."

I was trembling a little, mostly because I didn't understand what was happening. Edward crossed the room without looking at me, grabbed a piece of paper, some tape, and scribbled something down onto the page. Then, he taped it on the front door and turned sharply to face me.

The moment he saw me, his eyes immediately filled with pain as he rushed across the room faster than I could see. "Shh. Baby girl, it's okay. We're getting out of here, and we're taking Renée with us."

I swallowed and began nodding. "You're right. We don't have time to talk now. We need to get out of here before he wakes up."

Renée surprised us with her presence in the doorway, but considering the situation, she looked really calm. "I have my bags ready to go."

Edward nodded and gently brushed past her, back to our room to get our stuff. While he was gone, I went back over to tightly hug her. It surprised her, especially considering I had already hugged her a lot, but she needed it.

Edward was back much faster than most people would've been, but Renée didn't think twice about it. When he got back, Phil began groaning and moving, so we didn't have time to do much but escape as quickly and quietly as possible. Just in case he came outside, we hurried down along the road so he couldn't find us.

Renée was calling someone, although I wasn't sure who she was calling. "Charlotte? I need a huge favor. My daughter, her fiancé, and I are standing at the end of the street. Phil had another drunk episode and hurt my daughter. I finally decided you were right. Can you take us to the airport?"

* * *

><p>It wasn't long before her friend got there. I was surprised to be greeted by red eyes and white skin, but Edward didn't look at all alarmed. Actually, he smiled a little at the driver, despite the circumstances.<p>

"Charlotte," he said politely. "It's been a while."

"It certainly has, Edward," she laughed. "This must be the beautiful Mayze I've heard so much about. Renée, I had no idea your daughter was engaged to Edward."

Renée looked as surprised as I did. "How do you know Edward?"

"His brother and I were best friends a while back," Charlotte answered, although I knew there was more to the story than that. "It's been so long! Too bad you won't be coming to Jacksonville anymore. I wish we had time to catch up."

"Maybe you could visit in Forks," Edward offered. "The doors are always open for you and Peter."

She smiled. "Well, let's get going. The bastard could come running any moment. I'd hate to run him over."

That made Renée smile a bit, despite the circumstances. She climbed up front while Edward and I slid into the back with all of our stuff.

It was a short ride to the airport because I fell asleep at some point, and I barely even woke up for the security check and to board. Renée said a long goodbye to Mary, asking her to please take Edward up on his offer some time, and they departed ways.

Once we were on the plane, I slept some more. I didn't sleep until Renée slept, though, because I had to make sure she was okay. Sleep, though, was the way we coped with things sometimes.

That's one thing we had in common.


	15. 15: Closer

**dulcesiita, i actually had to go back and fix the last chapter. i got confused with who was friends with who. i had to change Mary to Charlotte. my bad. it's fixed if you wanna go check it out.**

**alright. this chapter is brief, but it has very important links to the next chapter and important information. since it's brief and rather uninteresting, i'll post the next chapter tomorrow when i have more time and everyone's not so asleep aroumd me. lol. anyways, if you would like to still review, awesome, but it's not required for this one. haha.**

**enjoy. :P**

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><p>01. Five Years: Tonight Alive<br>02. Stay Close: Fireflight  
>03. Bite My Tongue feat. Oli Sykes: You Me at Six<br>04. Obvious: Hey Monday  
>05. I Must Be Dreaming: The Maine<br>06. Falling Inside the Black: Skillet  
>07. Hurt: Thousand Foot Krutch<br>08. Operate: Three Days Grace  
>09. Last Words: Thousand Foot Krutch<br>10. Emerald Eyes: Blacklisted Me****  
><strong>**11. One-X: Three Days Grace  
>12. Rock Me: One Direction<strong><br>**13. They Don't Know About Us: One Direction  
>14. Cry Me a River: Michael Bublé<strong><br>15. Narcissistic Cannibal feat. Skrillex: Korn**

* * *

><p>We didn't have time to call anyone until we were already on our way to Forks. It was a really dangerous situation, considering that Charlie was still so new, but it was dangerous to leave her in Jacksonville, too.<p>

Bella was at the Cullen's house waiting on us with Jacob and a few other pack members—do I have to say that it was Embry, Seth, and Quil? Bella was crying as she rushed out here to hug Renée.

"Mom?" she asked quietly. "Why didn't you come home sooner?"

Renée was crying as well. "I-I was scared, Bella. And I really did love him."

Embry and Jacob were out here, too, both studying me. Embry was the first to say anything to me. "You okay?"

Edward almost smiled at him. "She's a little sore but otherwise fine. As far as Phil is concerned . . . ."

Renée gasped suddenly, eyes wide as she looked to Edward. "Oh dear. What if he tries to bring up charges against you?"

"He won't," Edward assured her, and since she didn't seem convinced still, he pulled his phone out and began looking for something. "He tried to shoot me. I think it's safe to say I have more on him, and I can ruin his career as well. All he would do is cause more problems for himself, and he knows that."

"Is that what you put on the note?" I asked curiously.

He nodded. "I told him that he better not follow us, and if he tries to press charges on me, I'll counter with attempted murder. I have evidence." He paused and looked down to me, eyes full of pain. "You . . . you don't need to hear this."

My eyebrows rose. "Well, I'm either gonna hear it myself, or you're gonna explain why I didn't need to listen anyways."

Despite the fact that he hated it, he knew I was right, so with a sigh, he pressed his phone again, and I faintly heard him saying something over it.

Phil then snarled. "You stupid asshole. Mayze deserves better than you."

"Maybe, but I can promise you, you're not better than me," Edward said darkly. "You're sick. Your own stepdaughter?"

"Boy, my plans with Mayze are none of your damn business," he snapped.

"She'll be my wife in about a week! Don't you dare say it's not my business!" Edward very angrily retorted, and I could hear genuine rage coming out—pain as well. "You can't just rape her and use her as you please."

I heard Phil chuckle. "I can do whatever I want. Besides, she can't marry someone dead."

"What are you doing?" Edward asked quickly, sounding very scared. "Phil, no. Put the gun down."

"Mayze deserves better than you, and the only way to make that happen is to kill you," he said simply. "I'm not putting it down." Then, there was a loud gunshot, and the recording ended.

I began shaking at the part I knew Edward didn't want me to hear, and now, I kind of wished I hadn't listened to it. Still, I had to remain calm and hide that, so I looked up at Edward with an impassive expression while Embry just held me close in his very warm grip, as if he was trying to shield me. "You're sure that'll work?"

"I can get him for so many things," Edward murmured. "Positive."

Jacob was breathing heavily while Bella and Renée continued to hug each other and cry together. "Where is the bastard? Can you show me to the house?"

"Trust me, Jacob, I thought about killing him myself, but it'll make an unnecessary and huge mess," Edward said gently, eyes softer than I've ever seen them when he looked at Jacob. It was so weird to think about . . . because just this morning, they weren't friends. I was being kidnapped by a vampire thinking that I'm Bella, and now? Jacob and Bella are our friends. Victoria is dead.

Blade's still out there, and now I find out he's not the only one who wants to rape me?

I couldn't really breathe right, so I began walking towards the house. "I'm . . . exhausted. Mind if I call it a night?"

That surprised everyone, enough that no one said anything. All they did was stare after me with similar expressions and emotions in their eyes—pain. Renée and Bella were still crying, but they looked horrified, Bella especially. Jacob and Edward just looked like they might cry, and I really hated that, so I quirked my lips to the side and shrugged.

I was surprised when Embry came and pulled me onto his back. "Mayzie-pop, you know what you need?"

That made me smile to hear that. It felt like forever since he had called me that, but to be honest, this day felt like it would never end.

Was this what eternity would feel like? Never ending days? I would never be able to sleep through nights, and I would never be able to feel my heart beating. This was exactly what eternity would be like, minus all the bad stuff.

I didn't want eternity like this. Sure, there would be bad things that happened in eternity, but it wouldn't be like this all the time. The whole "never ending day" thing was the eternity of it all, and that aspect of my day . . . I liked it.

I suddenly remembered Embry said something to me, so I attempted to smile for everyone watching me. "What do I need?"

"An engagement party, a bridal shower, and a bachelorette party!" he laughed, knowing that would make me scowl.

It did, but I was also laughing. "You're right! I need to ask Alice—"

"Engagement party is tomorrow, bridal shower is Sunday," she informed me from the front door. "Then, of course, the bachelorette party is Friday night."

My cheeks began heating up at the thought of what that might be, but I decided that it was best to simply not think about it and wait to see. I'm sure that's what everyone else was doing—not thinking about it.

Like they hoped, it worked to cheer me up, and I was able to genuinely smile and tell everyone goodnight.

I had no idea the nightmares that would haunt me that night.

* * *

><p>The days surrounding that were eventful. Surprisingly, the engagement party and bridal shower weren't bad at all. I could've lived without some of the presents, sure, but they genuinely weren't bad. I got to see so many new people—even meet a new pack member who changed after Charlie became a werewolf. He was the oldest of them all, twenty-seven to be exact, so when he imprinted on Renée . . . it took everyone by surprise. Luckily, he wasn't in a serios relationship, so there were no hearts broken.<p>

Still, it was shocking, but I couldn't complain. Somehow, everything was working out in my favor.

I always say that too soon, though.


	16. 16: Training

**T.T sad day. i ****had an awesome author's note up here, but then my internet was all, "Naw. I'm not gonna work right now."**

**anyways, the jist of it? thank you so very much for staying with this story all the way here, even when there was a huge period of time where i wasn't updating. i love you all, and i really do appreciate your reviews and favorites. it means so much to me. thank you all. :)**

**please continue to read, review, and enjoy! :) thank you so much, once again.**

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><p>01. Five Years: Tonight Alive<br>02. Stay Close: Fireflight  
>03. Bite My Tongue feat. Oli Sykes: You Me at Six<br>04. Obvious: Hey Monday  
>05. I Must Be Dreaming: The Maine<br>06. Falling Inside the Black: Skillet  
>07. Hurt: Thousand Foot Krutch<br>08. Operate: Three Days Grace  
>09. Last Words: Thousand Foot Krutch<br>10. Emerald Eyes: Blacklisted Me  
>11. One-X: Three Days Grace<br>12. Rock Me: One Direction  
>13. They Don't Know About Us: One Direction<br>14. Cry Me a River: Michael Bublé  
>15. Narcissistic Cannibal feat. Skrillex: Korn<strong><br>16. Collide: Howie Day**

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><p>Friday morning, I was surprised to wake up with not only Edward, but also Emmett, Embry, and Rose sitting in my room. The sun was shining brightly through the windows, making their skin shine a little.<p>

I didn't jump or freak out, but I did give them funny looks as I yawned. "So I take it you're not going to school today, Edward . . . but Embry? Emmett? Rose? What are you guys doing here?"

Edward was scowling, eyes narrowed slightly. "I don't approve."

"You know we're right, though," Emmett reminded him. "Mayze, you have lots of wedding preparations to finalize today, so you've called in. Of course, Alice made sure to go up there this morning and get passes for all of you—Edward as well. You know how Miss Cope feels about him." He actually snickered.

Edward rolled his eyes. "Look, you should probably get this over with before I change my mind."

"We're training you," Rose said simply.

My eyebrows rose. "Training me? To do what?"

"Fight," Embry explained. "Think about it. You're the strongest human we know, and you're keeping up with the supernatural with no sort of fight training whatsoever. It's incredible!"

"Well, I hate to break it to you guys, but I'm not so sure knowing how to fight will help anyways," I laughed. "It's a good theory, though."

Emmett shook his head. "No, Mayze. Trust me. It will. What do you say?"

I shrugged. "I say might as well try it. I guess it couldn't hurt."

"Oh, of course not," Edward grumbled. "It's not like you're learning how to fight against two vampires and a werewolf. No. Couldn't hurt a _thing_."

"I see their point, though," I murmured. "Edward, I _will _be safer this way, and hey. Maybe getting trained _now _will make training me as a vampire even easier. It might stick."

"I think it will," Rose agreed. "Now, come on. Edward, don't be such a sour puss. We won't hurt her."

"_Intentionally_," he insisted. "Guys, this is a really bad idea! Please don't do this. Mayze, please? They could all accidentally break you in half."

"Edward, baby, listen to me," I murmured. "They wouldn't even suggest this if they weren't absolutely sure they wouldn't kill me. You thought you would kill me, but you haven't yet, now have you? I would say you've done things that make control a little harder than what they're talking about."

Emmett began laughing. "Whoa, ho, ho! Did you finally take his virginity and not tell us?"

Edward just scowled over at his brother. "Not what she was referring to."

_Well . . . it kind of was. _"Come on, Edward. Let them do this. Please?"

"I just don't feel comfortable letting my siblings try to fight you," he insisted. "It won't feel right. The entire time, I'm gonna want to jump in there and stop it."

I realized that there was nothing I could say to convince him unless I gave him something in return. A reward, I guess you could call it.

My eyes narrowed slightly. "Can you guys give me a minute? I need to change and talk to him."

Edward cocked an eyebrow at me. "Talk to me? You really think that'll help? You can't change my mind, Mayze. This is a really bad idea."

"You've said that about a lot of things," I snorted as everyone else began leaving—Emmett and Embry making jokes about how I was probably giving him some head to change his mind. Of course, they knew better because they knew me and my stance on blow jobs, but they liked to make jokes anyways.

Edward was frowning. "Mayze, you really can't change my mind."

I shrugged and began changing out of my clothes, something that _completely _changed his thought processes almost immediately. Originally, I was in my closet when I stripped down to my underwear, but after grabbing what I was wearing—these kick butt short black cargo shorts, a bright blue camisole, and knee-high bright blue and black striped socks with black and white high top converse—I began looking up at him. "I can change your mind."

"You're cheating," he mumbled, and he began leaning down to kiss me.

I wouldn't let him, though, and instead, I began kissing his neck, occasionally nibbling at his hard skin. The thing that _really _surprised him was when I began biting his ear and pulling on it a little with my teeth.

He actually let out a soft moan before firmly grabbing the top of my arms and moving me away from him. "M-Mayze, d-don't."

"What?" I asked softly, using a sultry and tender voice that actually drove him crazier than anything I had done yet. "I'm just showing you what you get tomorrow night for being a good boy."

That did it for him, and with a nod, he began quickly helping me into my clothes. "Okay. You're definitely right. Fight training now is probably the best idea for you. Let's get started immediately."

* * *

><p>They all got a kick of how drastically his mind had changed. I wasn't convinced he was okay with this, even still, but he didn't say anything and quietly watched from the porch as they each trained me.<p>

Rose went first, and she began helping me become more flexible. I did all kinds of stretches and then did some gymnastic things that I never realized I could do.

When Emmett began laughing, I knew what he was about to say, so before he could, I smirked over at Edward, who looked quite crazy on the porch. "Someone's gonna enjoy _this_."

Emmett nearly died, as did Embry and Rose. Edward, on the other hand, remained silent as he continued to just stand there and stare at me. He was very thoroughly enjoying it already, but he knew exactly what I meant, and just thinking about it—not to mention what I did earlier—was driving him nuts. That's why he looked crazy, and he was struggling to even stay on the porch where he was.

Rose gave me a high five and lightly nudged Embry. "Your turn, mutt."

He smirked over at her. "Thanks, Blondie."

Her eyes narrowed, but she was laughing along with Emmett now. "Have fun, Mayze. I'm gonna go help Alice and Esme out with some stuff for tonight."

"Oh geez," Edward mumbled, and I knew _exactly _what was going through his head. Lingerie was probably going to be the only presents I received tonight, and he knew that very well.

Rose smirked at him. "You'll enjoy it. Tomorrow at least."

"Yeah, well, tomorrow is more than twenty-four hours away," he muttered. "That's a long time."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Hey. I have to wait that long until I find out where our honeymoon is."

That seemed to help because he smirked. Of course, he was still thinking about, erm, things, but it gave him something to be proud of. "This is true."

Alice came running out onto the porch. "Mayze, don't forget. Everyone's going to be here at five to prepare for the parties, so if you want to do your hair tonight, I'll need to get started at four."

I nodded. "Okay. Sounds good."

"You never told me what you decided," Edward murmured.

Rose smirked. "It's a surprise."

Edward sighed. "Of course it is."

I pressed my lips together and frowned at everyone out here, a disturbing thought coming to mind. "What exactly is the bachelor party gonna be?"

Emmett grinned deviously at me. "Nothing to worry about. We'll only go to a strip club in Seattle."

My eyes narrowed to slits. "Emmett, I will be a vampire soon, and I _will _kill you if you do."

He was laughing from the moment my eyes narrowed, and even as I finished, he was still laughing. "Naw. C'mon, Mayzie-pop! You know better than that. Besides, Rose would kill me for you right now if we did! We're just gonna hang out, find Embry a girl, bring Oliver, Embry, Seth, and Quil back here, and Laurent, Edward, Jasper, Eleazar, and I are all gonna go hunting."

That made me smile. "Well alright. That sounds fun. Much better than the first one."

"That wouldn't be exciting at all," Edward snorted from the porch. "Maybe it's just me, but I have no desire to see naked women dancing around poles."

Embry snorted while he, too, began laughing. "Except Mayze."

Edward tilted his head slightly to the side in agreement. "Can't argue that one."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Alright, guys, if you want to finish training her, you should hurry. You've got less than an hour."

My eyes widened. "Is it after three already?"

Edward nodded. "You didn't wake up until noon. Kept having nightmares, so I guess you didn't sleep very well."

I shrugged. Of course I had nightmares, but I wasn't sharing them. He didn't need to know about them, really. It was the same nightmares I had been having pretty much every night since the second time. Occasionally, I would have the nightmare, wake up, be consoled by Edward, and then have a fantasy, or some nights, it was strictly a fantasy. Still, the nightmares terrified me.

Last night's was the worst of them all.

I turned to Embry to change the subject. "Let's get started. What do you have to show me?"

He smirked. "Despite what you may think, I'm pretty good at being sneaky."

My eyebrows rose. "Really? Never would've guessed that one."

And that's what he taught me—how to be sneaky. We actually had to go into the woods for some of the training, and to my surprise, Edward followed so that he could merely observe. It made me happy when _I _snuck up on _Embry _and scared him so bad that he almost pissed himself.

Edward got a kick out of that.

Emmett's skill he planned to teach me was simple fighting skills. It was awesome, and even though he sometimes hit me and probably bruised me or simply made me very sore, I had so much fun. By the time four o'clock rolled around, I was really fast and really efficient when it came to fighting. I could block, kick, dodge, and punch really well for a beginner. Everyone was impressed when I mixed some of Rose's techniques in with Emmett's, which is what they trained me to do. Still, at one point, I bent my way around and jumped on the back of Emmett's neck, ready to pull his head off—if necessary, of course.

Before going in, I grabbed Emmett's arm. "Hang on. There's something I want to try . . . and it might hurt a lot, a little, or none at all. I just need to know in case . . . well, in case I need to know."

He cocked an eyebrow at me. "Uh huh? What?"

I took a deep breath and winced. "Sorry, Em." And I did a quick roundhouse kick right to his balls.

To say that he fell over and began crying out in pain was no exaggeration, and it actually brought tears to my eyes.

"Emmett, I am so sorry!" I exclaimed desperately, and I knelt down beside him while _everyone _came running out of the house.

"What happened?" Rose asked, voice full of worry.

Edward wasn't too worried, though, because he was laughing really, really hard. "Mayze kicked Emmett." And he just kept laughing.

"To answer your question," Emmett managed to choke out as Rose began trying to help him sit up. "That hurts us vampires much more intensely than it hurts a human. Our biggest weakness."

I was cringing away from him. "Uh huh. Yeah. Got it, Em. I am so sorry!"

"He'll be fine," Rose assured me gently, though she hated seeing him like this. "That was a good thing to know. Go upstairs with Alice. She's all set up and ready for you."

I nodded and hugged Emmett tightly. "I'm sorry!" And then, I turned and rushed up the stairs.

Alice was grimacing. "I know you feel bad, but Rose is right. He'll be fine, and that's good to know in case . . . well, you know."

"Definitely good to know," I murmured, and I sighed into my hands. "Ready to do this."

* * *

><p>Nearly an hour later, people began arriving. First, it was the Denalis, and while they were here, I had my hair up in a towel to not only let it dry but also hide the color from Edward. Alice was very set on not letting him know, and I kind of liked that idea.<p>

We dyed it pastel blue, and it looked _incredible_. Wet, it was darker, but hair always is when wet. Still, it was something new, and I liked it. Would I change it someday? Yeah, sure, but right now, I really liked this, and Alice did, too.

That was surprising to me.

After Brynk, Karma, Sapphire, Oliver, Alistair, Leah, and Brady all got here, the guys all began getting ready to go to their bachelor party whereas the girls began getting ready for our own party. It was really fun, but Alice gave me some really bad news before it started.

"You don't get to see Edward after he leaves."

Therefore, while everyone was getting ready, I kept my towel on and locked the two of us in our room.

He was mostly just hugging me close to him and whispering in my ear how happy he was to be marrying me tomorrow. There was nothing sexual about our time together. We were just hugging each other and talking about how happy we were.

And it was true. I had never been happier in my entire life. Tomorrow, I would be married. I wouldn't be Elizabeth Malia Swan. Tomorrow, I would be Mayze Cullen—Elizabeth Swan Cullen, if you _really _want to get technical.

When Alice came knocking on the door, he kissed the side of my head and said, "I'll see you tomorrow when it's time for you to become my beautiful Mrs. Cullen. I love you."

And the guys all left, leaving me there with the biggest smile I've ever had on my face while Alice did her magic with my newly pastel blue hair.

It was going to be a good night.


	17. 17: Bachelorette

**read and review for more! :)**

**dulcesiita, yes! the wedding is so close! ch. 20. :) whoo! i'm psyched. i hope i can make it awesome. :3**

**now, everyone reading? review, please? pretty please? the wedding will get here faster if you do...:D**

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><p>01. Five Years: Tonight Alive<br>02. Stay Close: Fireflight  
>03. Bite My Tongue feat. Oli Sykes: You Me at Six<br>04. Obvious: Hey Monday  
>05. I Must Be Dreaming: The Maine<br>06. Falling Inside the Black: Skillet  
>07. Hurt: Thousand Foot Krutch<br>08. Operate: Three Days Grace  
>09. Last Words: Thousand Foot Krutch<br>10. Emerald Eyes: Blacklisted Me  
>11. One-X: Three Days Grace<br>12. Rock Me: One Direction  
>13. They Don't Know About Us: One Direction<br>14. Cry Me a River: Michael Bublé  
>15. Narcissistic Cannibal feat. Skrillex: Korn<br>16. Collide: Howie Day**  
>17. On Top of the World: Imagine Dragons<strong>

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><p>Alice actually helped me out by cutting my hair, too. It definitely needed it, especially with all the dying it's been through lately. She also put some stuff to fix the damage the dyes had caused, so it was nice and silky again as she finished braiding my hair in preparation for tomorrow. It had to be curled as well, but it looked good. Alice cut it, but it was still past my shoulders, and it was still long enough to be braided.<p>

Tomorrow's braid would be much better. This one was just to help make the curls kinky and cute, so she had a cute braid into a curly ponytail for the party, which she would continue and finish before I was allowed to go to sleep—at my house, I might add. She really won't take any chances of Edward seeing me.

I looked at myself in the mirror compared to Alice, and I nearly cried. Our dresses were shaped the same—strapless and quite a few inches above our knees with slightly puffy mesh and some other soft material for the layers beside our skin. Alice's dress, however, had its differences. Around the waist, there was a design of different rhinestones curling around to the back. The top part of the dress—the part above and underneath the rhinestones—was navy blue, and the bottom part was a soft pink color. She also had on some very interesting silver glittery open-toed stiletto boots.

My dress? It was silver with rhinestones lining the top edges, curving down to meet in the middle at the top of the silk sash wrapping around the entire dress. For fun, Alice put little stick-on rhinestones in a really cool pattern extending out from the outside corner of my eyes—which were slightly enhanced with silver glitter eye shadow, a very thin line of black mascara, and black mascara. It looked really cool, but compared to Alice? I had nothing. **(A/N: I can put a link to pictures on my profile of anything you want to see—Mayze's hair color, her eye makeup, her shoes, any of the dresses of anyone at the party . . . you name it, and I'll put it up there. Haha.)**

Oh goodness. Next to Rose? I would possibly cry.

Alice was smiling warmly at me as she handed me my shoes. "No point in trying to kill you tonight, now is there?"

I was very grateful for the bright blue strappy gladiator flats she picked out for me, so grateful that I hugged her. "Thank you, Alice. For everything."

"I could say the same to you," she murmured, and her small arms tightly wrapped around me. "Now, come on, Mayze, before you start crying and ruin my hard work."

That made me laugh, so I slipped into my shoes and began following her out the door and down the stairs, where I was surprised to find _tons _of girls—some I didn't even realize Alice had invited!

The most surprising person was my . . . friend . . . Brooklyn from Phoenix. Honestly, I had no idea she cared enough to come, but here she was, smirking at the surprise on my face when I saw her. Why smirking? Who knows.

Anyways, Angela was here, as was Emily, Esme, and Renée. Honestly, I hadn't thought the two mother would _want _to be here. I hadn't seen Renée since Ember imprinted on her and she learned about everything. She sort of isolated herself to try and sort it all out, so this was a wonderful surprise.

I rushed down quickly to wrap my arms tightly around her. "Hi, Mom."

She let out a happy sigh, loving how much I had grown and changed since I lived in Phoenix—my willingness to hug everyone I care about being her favorite change. "Hi, Mayze. I absolutely love the hair."

I laughed breathlessly. "Thanks."

Since there were so many people here, I couldn't hug her long. Instead, I let her go and began greeting everyone. Brooklyn acted very happy to see me, but I think she was mostly upset that she didn't get to see Edward.

That she would have no chance to try and take him from me. Trust me; I know how she works.

Angela gave me a friendly hug. "I agree with your mom. Hair? Awesome! But I can't believe it, Mayze. I knew this would happen one day, but so soon!"

"Come on, there's _got _to be a reason behind getting married now!" Brooklyn laughed, trying to sound like she was joking. "Is there a baby on the way?"

"Brook, you know I can't have kids," I reminded her. "No babies. We just want to get married now. I mean, why wait? We know we'll get married eventually, so why bother waiting? Besides, after we graduate, there won't be a whole lot of time before we have to start college stuff and preparations. So, I mean, this was the best time."

"I agree," Angela said happily. "You two are perfect. Normally, I would be a little concerned, but you're so . . . incredible together. I've never seen anything like it."

"Me either," Bella murmured. "And I can't believe I almost missed this. My baby sister's wedding."

I could feel the tears coming to my eyes, but I had to fight them off by laughing so Alice didn't kill me. "Okay, guys, I really think we should change the subject before I ruin Alice's hard work and before she kills me."

"She did really good with the hair!" Kate exclaimed. "Alice, you're incredible! I love it."

Alice was beaming. "Thank you. She had to convince me to do the blue, but I love how it turned out."

After some more small talk, Esme and Renée began bringing out the drinks. By drinks, I mean just that. Drinks with alcohol.

I was surprised, but they let us have fun. Of course, Alice, Angela, Tanya, Carmen, Irina, and Esme didn't drink, but everyone else did—including Rose and Kate in order to keep up appearances for, well, Angela and Brooklyn, really. Everyone else knew they were vampires.

Rose surprised me when she began trying to quiet everyone down. "Alright, guys. Before we start with our . . . exciting presents for Mayze, I just wanted to say a few words." When she looked over at me, tears immediately began filling my eyes because there was so much love and adoration in her eyes. There was so much genuine, heartfelt emotion there that I truly did feel how much Rose cared about me, how much she _wanted _me to be around. "Tomorrow, you'll be my sister officially, but you know, you already are. We've been through a lot together, and I haven't always been your favorite person. To be honest, I was jealous of you, Mayze, because you're something special. You stole my brother's heart the day he laid eyes on you, and you captivated him in ways no one else did. I didn't understand it, and I hated it. I've prided myself on being, well, the prettiest, but you've shown me that there's more to beauty than mere appearances. You're the most beautiful and incredible girl I know, Mayze, and I'm so glad Edward didn't listen to me. You have no idea how glad I am that he didn't, really. Alice told me that you would change our lives, and I didn't believe her. She was right, and may I be the first to say, welcome to the family, Mayze. You've been a part of it from, well, day one, and you will be until death do us part. I love you, Mayze, and I wouldn't trade you for anything in the world. My husband was always so fond of you, and I get why now. You're amazing. Welcome to our family."

The people around me began cheering and clapping while I cried and rushed over to tightly hug her. She hugged me back, of course, and if she could cry, I knew she would be right then.

"I love you, Rose," I whispered, and I began laughing as Alice came up behind Rose to wipe the tears off my face. "Sorry, Alice."

"I need to say something, too," Bella murmured, and she very carefully stood up on a chair in order to be seen. "Mayze, I tried to make your life a living hell because of Edward. I fought it and did everything I could to get you to understand that he wasn't right for you, but all that fighting I did was really just hurting me. It was hurting you. It wasn't proving anyone wrong but me. You and Edward . . . like Angela said earlier, I've never seen a love as strong and powerful as the love you share with Edward. You've been through so much together, and I know you'll go through so much more. A couple of weeks ago, we found out that by blood, we're not related at all. Blood isn't what makes two people sisters, though. We've seen siblings who _are _blood and absolutely hate each other. Blood is the only reason you can even call them related! You're my best friend, Mayze, and you always will be. I was stupid and almost ruined everything, but you're, well, you, and you didn't let that happen. You never would, and I'm just . . . thrilled. I'm so excited that you came to Forks and immediately found the guy for you. He's incredible, really. I've talked to him, got to know him, like you asked me to do from the beginning, and I wish I could turn back time and just listen to you. It would've saved us both a lot of heartache—you especially. I was never there for you, and I was wrong to do so. Still, I want you to know that I will _never _leave your side again, Mayze. You and I will be sisters, best friends, until the end. Forever and ever. I swear. This isn't about us, though. This is about you and that sexy fiancé of yours."

I knew my cheeks were heating up as they all began cheering—except Esme and Renée, of course, who were just laughing. "W-What about him?"

She laughed. "You'll get married tomorrow, and though you two are definitely getting married for all the right reasons, who's to say you can't be super excited for the after party, right? We all got you some stuff to help you out. I'm not sure how you'll be. Shy? Scared? Absolutely crazy? A freak? I don't know, and I really don't wanna know. Still, it's gonna be epic. I know it will, and we all care about you so much. We've decide to, you know, help you out."

I was scarlet red. "Erm, thanks, guys. I can feel the love."

Brynk began laughing deviously. "You think you can feel it now? Wait until tomorrow night."

I just whimpered as Rose began very eagerly moving over to the huge pile of presents, grabbing a silver box with a bright pink ribbon first. "Alright. I say we start opening some of her lovely gifts. This first one is from Kate."

Renée and Esme both exchanged looks and nervous laughs.

"I'm just going to be in the kitchen cleaning up," she murmured.

Renée smiled. "I would love to help you, Esme."

It was funny to watch them scurry away like that. Everyone got a kick out of it. I was grateful they did it, too, because it made opening these things a million times less embarrassing. Actually, it wasn't bad at all. Some of the lingerie they got me, I had no idea how to even start to put it on.

They were surprised when I smirked at them all. "You know, guys, this is great and all, but I really don't think I'll be wearing much of anything."

Of course, that made them all laugh, and some agreed with me. There was a reason I knew this, though. Edward now had a taste of sex, and he craved it. There really wouldn't be any time for me to put clothes on because who knows how crazy he's going to get?

I got nervous and excited just thinking about it.

Esme and Renée came back in after I finished with all the exotic and not so exotic lingerie, both wearing smiles as they approached me. "Mayze, it's time for our presents."

Alice smiled and danced across the room, pulling two envelopes out of the closet and handing them both to me.

I was a little relieved to see that this wasn't lingerie—a first for this party. I was so relieved, in fact, that I turned and hugged them both before even opening the envelopes.

The first one wasn't bad. It was a full body massage appointment for tomorrow morning, plenty of time before the wedding. They didn't tell me what was from who, so when I opened the next one, I didn't know who to blush at.

It was another appointment for even earlier in the morning—five to be exact. What was it?

A full body laser hair removal appointment.

Oh dear me. It would make things easier, but how awkward was that going to be exactly?

Still, I was blushing as I gathered all of the stuff and rushed it out to my car. Of course, I couldn't leave it here because Edward would most definitely look for it.

I took a moment to look out into the cold, clear night. It was beautiful, really, but it let me have a few moments to think about things. Tomorrow, I would be married. I would be a Cullen officially, by law. This really was my last night to legally be considered "single," and I couldn't wait for it to be over. It was fun, but what I really wanted was to be in Edward's arms. I wanted to be a vampire with all of this school stuff behind us. I wanted Blade dead, and I wanted life to be incredible, like it would when all of those things came true.

Right now, though, just becoming Mrs. Mayze Cullen is good enough for me.


	18. 18: Petrified

**hey! sorry. it was a crazy weekend. i know i got some favorites and reviews, but i was unable to put this up until, well, now. :3**

**anyways, here's the next chapter. the wedding is close! this one is kinda depressing...but important. lol.**

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><p><strong><strong>01. Five Years: Tonight Alive  
>02. Stay Close: Fireflight<br>03. Bite My Tongue feat. Oli Sykes: You Me at Six  
>04. Obvious: Hey Monday<br>05. I Must Be Dreaming: The Maine  
>06. Falling Inside the Black: Skillet<br>07. Hurt: Thousand Foot Krutch  
>08. Operate: Three Days Grace<br>09. Last Words: Thousand Foot Krutch  
>10. Emerald Eyes: Blacklisted Me<br>11. One-X: Three Days Grace  
>12. Rock Me: One Direction<br>13. They Don't Know About Us: One Direction  
>14. Cry Me a River: Michael Bublé<br>15. Narcissistic Cannibal feat. Skrillex: Korn  
>16. Collide: Howie Day<strong><br>**17. On Top of the World: Imagine Dragons**  
>18. Underdog: Imagine Dragons<strong>

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><p>There was no one staying here with me tonight. All of the vampires went hunting, so there would be quite a few animals killed tonight.<p>

It was a little weird having the entire house to myself, and unfortunately, that meant I had too much time to think. I loved thinking about my wedding, imagining just how Alice did it, but eventually, my thoughts drifted to more depressing things.

Blade . . . . I shouldn't waste my time worrying about him or even thinking about him. That's what he wanted me to do, to torture me. My wedding tomorrow was the _real _thing to be excited about, to think about.

Alice and I had put together everything. I gave her my thoughts and desires. She made sure it would happen.

I couldn't wait to see my dreams a reality. Sure, I've _said _I'd prefer to go to the courthouse, but really, I didn't.

But you know . . . everything could go tragically wrong tomorrow, and as long as I walked out of there Mrs. Cullen, I would be just fine.

There was a rustling downstairs that almost made my heart stop. If I hadn't remembered that I was trained to fight off danger, at least a little, I would've frozen. So, I slipped into some socks after changing into shorts and a t-shirt. It would be my last night, for a while, that I would be dressing for pure comfort.

When I got downstairs, I _thoroughly _checked for anything out of the ordinary. There was no one or anything here, so I grabbed a glass of pink lemonade and went back to my room.

Since the window was open, I could feel the cool night breeze that was actually making it _too _cold. I planned to close it, but we all know plans don't ever work out just right.

Some strange, disfigured man was standing by my bed, a familiar sort of smile that sent chills to my spine. This brought memories of Blade up, that smile and dark gleam in his cloudy blue eyes, so if Emmett wasn't smart, I would've been stuck there, scared.

See, he decided it would be best to bring things up and make me think he was Blade. It was really impressive, actually, but it scared me. Maybe that was why he was stuck in my head? I don't know.

_Mayze, focus!_

He lunged for me, but I very quickly flipped to the side and delivered a roundhouse kick to the side of his head. He had a hard head, so it actually kind of hurt my foot.

That only pissed me off, so I very quickly grabbed his wrist and spun it around to pin it behind his back. Then, from behind, I kicked him in the dick. While he was groaning in pain and trying to fall to the floor, I pushed him out the window.

Two stories wasn't a big deal. I was certain he would survive.

I watched smugly as he limped off. Emmett, Embry, and Rose would be so proud of me. And what about Edward? How would he react, since he wasn't too fond of me being completely alone anyways?

I felt someone grab me from behind, but I couldn't even turn before they had a rag over my face. In mere seconds of breathing, I was out.

Want to know something strange? When I woke up, everything was normal. I was home, covered up in bed. Rose would be here soon, and my alarm woke me up like planned.

That has _got _to be the weirdest dream ever . . . and it wasn't even Blade trying to rape me.

Still, I got up and began getting ready to go to the shower. Just that thought made me excited on the inside.

This would be my last shower as Miss Swan. Holy crap.

_I'm getting married today!_

I actually began squealing in excitement. To say I jumped around and happy danced while screaming in pure joy was no exaggeration. I just couldn't contain it.

To be completely honest, I had never been happier.

Then, I began noticing something off. Any time I started happy dancing, Auggie always joined me.

Where was Auggie?

"Auggie?" I called as I began searching all around my room: under the bed, in the closet, under my desk. She was nowhere to be found.

I began moving out of my room. Everywhere I looked, she wasn't there. Even when I went downstairs, she wasn't there. I checked her favorite place, the living room, the kitchen . . . nowhere.

Where was my dog?

I decided that they must've come and got her while I slept. Of course. She was the ring-bearer, after all.

When I walked back upstairs and into the bathroom, I fell to the ground, _hard_. It wasn't even a full second before I started bawling, choking, and screaming all at once.

My baby . . . . Someone had slit her throat and cut off her legs and tail! She was all over my bathroom, her blood splattered on the walls. It was so disgusting that I had to rush to vomit, ignoring the envelope with my name on it temporarily.

After probably throwing up for a good ten minutes and nearly choking myself to death, I had nothing left to throw up, so all I could do was cry and practically kill myself.

I remembered the envelope, so I carefully picked it up, though my hands were shaking violently. My name was scribbled on in neat scraggly handwriting.

When I opened it, pictures fell on the floor. In order to read the note, I decided to wait. My eyes were cloudy, but I forced the tears away just long enough to read the note.

**My beautiful Mayze,**

**I am so sorry about the dog. She would've ruined my plans, and she bit me. For you, my love, I tried animal blood, but I just can't do it. It tastes horrid, and it doesn't satisfy me.**

**Another thing that doesn't satisfy me? You fighting me off and kicking me in the crotch. Please stop that.**

**Although I do not understand why, you're getting married to Edward today. I can't stop that, but one day, you'll love me instead.**

**Mayze, you, my beautiful darling, have opened my eyes. Katharine was just a fling. The way my heart feels about you will never change.**

**Although I'm sorry I can't change you myself, I'm putting the Cullens to good use for once. You'll be a vampire soon. I promise. I won't take you beyond your will. I needed you one more time before I backed off, and let me say, I'm truly saddened by the fact that Edward was the man to take your virginity. Nevertheless, I'll forgive you for acting promiscuously against me. One day, you will ****beg**** me to make love to you, and I will in a nanosecond. Still, I apologize for the harm I've caused you. I hope you can forgive me.**

**I'll be back the moment you're alone. I love you, my darling. I'll get you a new dog. I promise.**

**Blade**

I crumpled the note up as I screamed out in rage. What was happening? Love? He killed my dog! He raped me three times!

When I saw the pictures, I felt sicker. That man? It was Blade. He covered himself with another human's flesh to appear normal! In the pictures, he had one of before and after the skin was put on him. Even of the body he took it from. Then, there were pictures of him laying beside me, kissing my face, touching me intimately . . . .

Before I could even scream out again, Rose was holding me in her own trembling body.

"M-M-Mayze?"

"Help me get cleaned up," I ground out through my teeth. Somehow, I was too mad to cry anymore. Instead, I set in my mind the game plan for today and crammed all of this out. "I'll shower at your house after the stupid laser thing and massage."

"We can postpone this," she whispered, voice almost silent. "Mayze, we need to—"

"Edward can't find out about this, not until I tell him," I interrupted quietly. "All I'm telling you about this is that Auggie is dead. When we get back, I need you to lie to everyone and tell them Auggie is sick and at the vet."

She was silent for a minute, but finally, she said, "Okay, Mayze. Let's get the blood and smell off of you. Then we'll go. I'll go get something from the car to help."

Despite the fact that it was limb and tail-less, I picked up Auggie's body and held her close against me, able to cry now as I looked down at her. She was a mess—obviously—but a fire began burning deep inside of me, something I had never felt before this moment. It wasn't pleasant. Actually, it felt quite dark and terrible. This fire was burning for all the rage and pain I felt inside right now, and the suckiest part of all was that I had to go back and act like everything was wonderful.

_Auggie, my sweet girl, I _will _avenge your death. I promise._

Rose came back into the room with venom tears of her own forming in her eyes. "Mayze, we need to hurry. If we're not back soon, they'll suspect, and they'll come looking for us."

"While you work on getting the smell off, I need to explain this to Charlie and Bella for when they come home," I murmured impassively.

"Mayze, wait," Rose said firmly. "Don't just shove this all deep inside of you."

"I have to," I breathed, unable to look her in the eyes. "If I don't do this, I will ruin Edward's wedding. His honeymoon. Rose, he's waited _decades _for this, and I'm not gonna let Blade win. Any delay of the wedding or anything that makes it not the wedding and honeymoon Edward wants will be Blade winning. He can't win!"

"I understand what you're going through to a very slight extent," she insisted. "Trust me, Mayze. I was raped by my fiancé when I was human. Him and a bunch of his buddies were drunk, and when they saw me walking, they started taunting me. He was the first to start ripping my clothes off, and they all raped me. Left me for dead. This Blade thing hit me harder than most of them because I knew how you felt, and I connected with you and hated it. I know what it feels like to not want to let them win. Really, Mayze, I know. You have to think about this, though. What about when Edward finds out you hid this from him? You hid it through all of this? Do you think he's going to like hearing you weren't as happy as you appeared at these events where you're _both _supposed to be happy?"

"I will be happy," I said truthfully. "Rose, just trust me, okay?" I took a deep breath and began scribbling the note for Bella and Charlie—probably Jake, too. It was very brief, but I told them everything that happened and that he wouldn't be bothering us anymore.

Why did I trust him, trust his note? He hadn't lied yet. Why would he start now?

As soon as that was done and taped to the door, I closed the door and began feeling the morning sinking into the very back of my brain. Like I hoped, writing what happened helped me, so I was able to put in my Contrast CD by Conor Maynard and literally force it away.

Rose had already washed the blood off, so there was just the smell that vampires could detect. While she stood in the doorway, eyes wide in shock as I began dancing and singing along to one of my favorite songs _Can't Say No_, I just continued to dance and force the memories to the back of my head.

By the time _Can't Say No _and _Vegas Girl _were finished, I was bouncing all over again in excitement. "Rose, I'm getting married today!"

She was in complete and utter shock, especially as she looked deep into my eyes and saw pure bliss. "I, uh, yeah, Mayze. You are."

Mayze Cullen. Mayze Cullen. Mayze Cullen.

_Finally!_


	19. 19: Ready or Not

**GrandmaSuzy74, you hush up. I know where you sleep. CAUSE IT'S MY BED! bed thief. T.T**

**yeah. my sister is now a fan of this story, so i can promise you. updates won't get too far apart. the longer i wait, the more annoying she gets. T.T**

**hehe. :3 motivation, right?**

**well, i hope you enjoy. the actual wedding is, well, the next chapter. :D**

**please review. :) thank you for the reviews i've gotten so far. they keep me going. really. i would've stopped a LONG time ago, and this story wouldn't be where it is and where it's gonna go. :)**

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><p>01. Five Years: Tonight Alive<br>02. Stay Close: Fireflight  
>03. Bite My Tongue feat. Oli Sykes: You Me at Six<br>04. Obvious: Hey Monday  
>05. I Must Be Dreaming: The Maine<br>06. Falling Inside the Black: Skillet  
>07. Hurt: Thousand Foot Krutch<br>08. Operate: Three Days Grace  
>09. Last Words: Thousand Foot Krutch<br>10. Emerald Eyes: Blacklisted Me  
>11. One-X: Three Days Grace<br>12. Rock Me: One Direction  
>13. They Don't Know About Us: One Direction<br>14. Cry Me a River: Michael Bublé  
>15. Narcissistic Cannibal feat. Skrillex: Korn<br>16. Collide: Howie Day  
>17. On Top of the World: Imagine Dragons<br>18. Underdog: Imagine Dragons  
><strong>19. I Still Believe: Hayden Pantierre<strong>

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><p>Somehow, I managed to stay happy. Even as Rose and Alice discussed the rush of finding a new ring bearer and why Alice didn't see this coming, I managed to remain happy and bubbly. Even as I began getting nervous, I was happy. Of course, I didn't doubt this. Edward and I were meant to be. What was there to doubt?<p>

Still, what if Edward saw past my happiness now? This had to be perfect, for him, and I couldn't screw this up. _That's _what I was nervous about—letting myself think too much and ruining my happiness.

I didn't even question who the ring bearer ended up being. I was focused, determined.

When everything was settled, Rose and Alice both came in with their arms full. Following behind them was Renée, Esme, Bella, Brynk, Sapphire, and Karma. Everyone had dresses and makeup to put on, hair to fix. But that wasn't what scared me the most.

Alice and Rose were both grinning from ear to ear, carrying the biggest bag of them all.

My heart began racing in excitement, and I actually jumped up, squealing. That got everyone laughing, but come on! My dress? It was beautiful. Like I said, it matched my shoes quite nicely.

It was a floor length, silk gown enhanced with bright blue glitter. There was a half-sleeved lace top that came down into the dress. The dress itself was silk, but there was a top layer of lace on the skirt—with blue glitter on it too, of course.

Alice surprised me when she let me get lace fingerless gloves to wear as well.

My hair was another matter. Rose had great plans for my newly blue hair. After all, this was the debut for everyone who wasn't at the party last night. It was left natural after my shower, dried carefully so it wouldn't get frizzy, and then she began her magic while Alice began hers.

"You're usually so tired, or at least you usually look it," Alice murmured as she rubbed foundation on my face. "You must've slept well."

I didn't think about it and instead smiled nervously. "Somewhat."

Rose changed the subject. "Brynk? Could you hold this strand of hair for me, and Karma? Could you hold the other?"

They both did as they were asked, and Esme surprised me when she sat down beside me and gently placed her nearly warm hand on mine. "Mayze?"

I could only look at her because Rose had a tight grip on my hair. "Yes?"

"I just wanted to thank you," she murmured. "Thank you for making Edward happier than he's ever been. I haven't known him as long as Carlisle, but ever since I've known him—quite a few decades I might add—he's never really been happy. He's never wanted to be here. You gave him reason to be. More than Edward, though . . . you've made this entire family happier. Maybe things have been hectic and rocky, but things have been fun. We're all so happy. You shook up our boring and monotonous lives and made things fun again. I think he greatest part about it is that we know the fun's never going to end. It's not because you're new and still human. Once you're a vampire, it'll only get better. I've told you before how grateful I am that you never gave up on him and that you've loved him as you have, and I'll never stop telling you because I am. So very grateful."

I wanted to hug her so badly, and I wanted to cry as well. Alice saw my eyes watering and smacked my arm lightly, reminding me that I couldn't cry. Rose, however, got to a stopping point quickly and let me hug Esme. "I'll always tell you how grateful I am for all of you as well. That'll never stop. Still, it's not like I had to sacrifice anything. You guys are well worth everything."

Rose actually grimaced, but when she remembered that this morning was a secret, she quickly changed her expression to a smiling one. Alice and Esme caught it, but they knew better than to ask or even think about it. Usually, if they didn't know something, they knew there was a reason and wouldn't ask.

Renée smiled. "Mayze, you've found such an incredible family. I wish I could give you an awesome and motherly speech about the beauties of marriage, but I haven't exactly had the best of luck myself."

I smirked over at her, and her cheeks immediately began to flush. "But we all know that's about to change."

That, despite her rosy cheeks, made her smile. "Nonetheless, I can't really say much other than I am so happy you found your true love on the first try. You figured love out before I did, Mayze, and I'm so happy for you. I've kept a lot of things from you over the years, tried to shelter you from a lot of truths, but today, I see that you can overcome anything. You can fight through and make it out alive, and you know why? You have so much to fight for. This boy, this entire family, is more than I ever hoped for. Both of my girls got it right."

Bella was smiling through tears as she came over and hugged us both. "Mom, Alice will kill me if I smear my makeup."

Alice smirked over at her. "Worked too hard on that."

"I'm not even the bride," Bella reminded her.

Alice began laughing darkly. "Just wait until you are."

Bella actually whimpered a little. "Alright. I'm gonna run downstairs and make sure they've got everything handled."

"Tell them we'll be ready in five, and bring up Charlie," Alice murmured.

Bella, though surprised Alice said five considering I was only halfway through my makeup and hair process, nodded and went downstairs. Sapphire touched up her own makeup and left.

Before I knew it, I was all set and ready to get into my dress. Alice and Rose got themselves ready within a minute, and still, they looked too beautiful.

**(A/N: If requested, I can put a link to pictures of Mayze's hairstyle and everyone's dresses/shoes.)**

My hair was braided into three neat but also somehow formal braids along the top of my head. I had some of the front hairs down, which Rose curled to perfection, but the three braids did something really cool. They curled around to the left side of my head and formed a rose. In this rose bun braid thing, Rose literally got three bright neon pink roses and put them in my hair. It was so cool, and I absolutely loved it.

Alice surprised me by keeping my makeup natural. Natural colored glittery eye shadow, very thin black eyeliner, black mascara, pale foundation.

I loved it, the natural look of it all.

They helped me into my dress, and of course, Renée was crying. Charlie came knocking, looking very dashing himself.

That made me smile, even if his red eyes fading back to brown were still new. "You look incredible, Dad."

He looked like him might cry himself, but instead, he smiled his dazzling white smile at me. All of this was new still, but I loved the fact that he was going nowhere. "You're beautiful, Mayze."

"No one's thinking about it, right?" Alice verified, eyes narrowed.

"Alice, it's pretty much impossible not to!" Rose insisted. "She's too freaking beautiful not to."

I hugged Charlie gently, mostly because I could feel him stiffen beside me. "Thank you for doing this, Dad, no matter how hard it is."

"That's what us dads do, walk our daughters down the aisle," he said lightly, shrugging it off. "Are we all ready to go?"

"Bella, Jake!" Alice called. "Come here so we can start!"

My heart skipped four beats in my chest, but after halting, it began soaring in my chest. It was actually kind of hard to breathe.

Holy crap. This was it. The moment I had waited so long for was finally here.

As I locked my arm in Charlie's and the soft guitar played a random song for the wedding party to walk out to, I closed my eyes and began smiling. I began picturing Edward standing there, waiting for me, and before I knew it, _my _song was playing.

No; it wasn't the traditional wedding march because, let's face it. This was no traditional wedding. So, what did I have playing, you may ask.

Well . . . .


	20. 20: The Aisle

**okay, GrandmaSuzy, HERE IT IS.**

**anyways, i hope you all continue to read and review. :) most of all, i hope you're still enjoying it.**

**also, i want to let you know that the youtube playlist for this part of the series has been updated. here's the link again, if you would like it.**

**(youtube .com and forward slash before all this) watch?v=g8rP8PHZoQg&list=PLhpRMXKSgmzdXlM6Go9fSvIScEA 3HzdF4**

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><p><strong>20. It's Time: Imagine Dragons<strong>

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><p>The guitar part starting <em>Love Remains the Same by Gavin Rossdale was my cue to start, but it didn't sound like the recording we planned to play. It sounded like someone was downstairs playing it.<em>

When I began walking down the stairs, my arm tightly around Charlie's, the words began. It was a voice I knew very well—Oliver.

I was absolutely glowing before I even saw Edward because I saw Oliver singing while Embry played the guitar. As we finished our walk down the stairs, into the room where everyone was and the actual ceremony was, I saw something that completely got rid of every worry I had previously had earlier. That was him, _my_ Edward.

My breath was taken away once again when I saw him in his tux. His hair, usually naturally spiky, was actually brushed down—definitely Alice's doing. His eyes, a bright and shimmering yellow topaz color, were full of the most joy and love I had ever seen from anyone.

It's as if his thoughts were mirroring mine—_finally_!

Walking towards him, for the first time in my life, I didn't feel self-conscious. I didn't think, "I really shouldn't be beside him . . . . I'm not pretty enough." Alice and Rose did a splendid job making me look good, but it wasn't really that. That wasn't why I wasn't thinking these things. I mean, let's face it. I had a really bad tan, lots of bruises, and scars all over my body—not to mention the ones hidden deep within my memory—but soon, I would be his, forever. Soon, I would become just like him . . . and his family . . . and Charlie.

At any rate, we both need each other the same. We've gone through too much together to let anything tear us apart, and even though I was just a simple human right now, soon, I would be a vampire, and hopefully, I would finally look right beside him.

I would be here with Edward, with _our _family, forever.

A bright, confident smile spread across my lips as we walked down the aisle. The song, though absolutely beautiful, was too slow for me, and I heard Emmett laugh softly as I basically drug Charlie.

Yep, that's me . . . dragging a vampire along.

Everyone in the room started laughing, but I didn't care. It didn't matter to me what they thought because it was literally only the important people . . . and Brooklyn.

Charlie let me go the second we were beside Edward, who was grinning at me. I kissed Charlie's cheek, and he just laughed before giving me to Edward.

"I have to say, I really love the hair," he said so softly that the preacher had no hope of hearing as he began the short ceremony we had planned—which was also covered up by Embry, who was quietly continuing the song.

The preacher would say a few lines and then go straight to the "I do's," because I didn't like weddings that dragged on and on. Literally, I went to a wedding once that went on for _three hours_. Way too long, if you ask me.

My smile didn't falter. "I was hoping you would."

"Brings out your beautiful eyes," he murmured. "You know, that was one of the first things I noticed about you."

I couldn't help but squeeze his arm in a sort of hugging kind of way as the preacher neared our part, where we would say our lines. Alice had tried to get vows, but let's face it. Our relationship is between us, and I knew how much he loved me. There was no need to declare it in front of all these people, who also happened to already know how much he loved me.

That's why we stuck with the basics—and I knew I would be starving.

Guess who was right. Yeah, that would be me.

"I also have to say, I disagree with Alice," he whispered. "Whether I saw you earlier today or not, seeing you in that moment wouldn't have changed. It would've been just as perfect as it was then."

"Ditto."

"Now, Elizabeth, would you please pick up the ring and take Edward's left hand?" the preacher, Brother Steve, asked politely.

I smiled warmly at him and did what I was asked. Seeing the ring bearer almost brought out memories, but I still kept them nice and suppressed as I smiled up at Edward's absolutely shining eyes.

"Do you, Elizabeth Malia Swan, take Edward to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, until death do you part?" he asked.

"I do," I said eagerly, before he could even finish talking.

Edward wasn't even able to contain his joy at my eagerness to marry him, so as I slid the ring onto his finger, I saw what looked like tears forming in his eyes.

Brother Steve was smiling. "Now, Edward, would you please take Elizabeth's left hand and the ring?"

Edward made sure to do it carefully so he wouldn't be alerted to anything unusual, and he took my hand in his near-warm one with a smile.

"Do you, Edward Anthony Masen-Cullen, take Elizabeth to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, until death do you part?"

"I definitely do," Edward said quickly, smiling even brighter at the way my eyes lit up.

"I now pronounce you—" Edward pulled my lips up to his faster than he could get the words out, but he kept on going with the line—"husband and wife. You may kiss the bride . . . or continue kissing her."

Everyone was cheering loudly from the moment Edward kissed me, but now that he said the words, their cheers got louder. I could hear Brynk, Rose, Bella, Embry, and Emmett over everyone, so I was laughing as I pulled away from Edward.

"Presenting Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen!"

That about did it for me. I couldn't stop the tears from pouring down my face as Edward escorted me back up the aisle and outside to his Vanquish, which Emmett, Embry, and Jasper made sure to decorate with pink bows and pink window paint, as well as with lots of glitter and pink sashes.

The reception, though it definitely _could've _been here, was actually at a different location. In the middle of Forks, there's this beautiful, older building, and inside is a banquet hall. That's where Alice wanted to do the reception so there would be room for everything I wanted to do and all of the presents.

Oh dear. There wouldn't be anything embarrassing, but how much did these people spend on me?

Well . . . us. So, I guess, it was okay. It was _our _wedding presents, not just stuff for me. I would spend all my money on Edward, so that balanced it out and made it okay.

For the reception, I took my shoes off. I was good at walking in them, and Rose was nice enough to break them in for me, but I just felt much safer and comfortable without them.

Alice had Edward and me sitting up higher than everyone else, with seats for Carlisle and Esme and then Charlie and Renée beside us. The whole room was just how I pictured it. The lights were dim with floor lights along the edge of the walls, and there were vases with blue twinkling lights holding a dozen white roses per table, decorating the white table cloths nicely. The table cloths themselves had tiny gold designs on them, which is what the chairs were covered with—gold silk with a white sash around them.

There were only four tables, considering there were only roughly thirty people there with seven seats per table and six of the people were the bride, groom, and their parents.

That left plenty of room for the dance floor, and that was lit up just like I wanted it. There were colored lights, but for those special dances, it was nice and elegant.

I couldn't help but cry some more as I looked around, and Edward was smiling from ear to ear as he watched me take it all in.

We were the only two here for the moment because everyone else was on their way. Still, I couldn't believe how beautiful it was.

Edward pulled me close to him and tilted my chin up so that I was looking up at his face. "So, Mrs. Cullen, has this been perfect?"

"Perfect," I said in agreement, although it wasn't entirely true. Still, I kept my spirits up and kissed him before he could realize that there may be something off in my statement.

I could hear Emmett clearing his throat from the doorway, and that only made me laugh. It served its purpose, though, because I pulled away from Edward and began walking over to tightly hug people.

Rose was the first one who got to me, but Bella tried to beat her. Alice was politely waiting for Bella, Renée, and Esme to have their turns, and of course Charlie, but she eventually got to hug me.

"I don't know how you managed to make this day so perfect, Alice, but thank you, so much," I said eagerly. "This is better than I imagined it."

She smiled. "Rose and Bella helped a _lot_. Bella knew your ideal wedding, and Rose threw in some new ideas. The roses and vases were her idea."

"They're amazing!" I exclaimed. "Thank you, so much."

"That's what sisters do," Rose said happily. "And that's exactly what you are, Mayze—our sister."

The night just got better and better. There was a piano in the room, and Edward took me by complete surprise. He wrote a song for me that was so beautiful. It was a song that expressed our entire relationship—from the beginning and what he knew our future would be like.

That song was so incredible. Esme was just as excited as I was because she loved hearing him play.

Then, it was time for the father-daughter dance, and that was interesting. We never had time to practice this in all of the chaos, but with Charlie's new balance abilities, they were able to quickly teach him how to dance last night.

It was so much fun. We were dancing to the song _Cinderella _by Stephen Curtis Chapman. Such a skin tingling song that makes everyone tear up when they hear it, and it was perfect for our dance. Surprisingly, he didn't just sway back and forth with me. It was an actual slow dance.

Then, there was Edward and my first dance as a married couple. It was to the song _Vegas Skies _by the Cab. There were so many songs I could've picked, but this one . . . it was my favorite.

The rest of the night was completely magical. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect and better wedding. So, I was surprised how quickly it passed by. When Rose and Bella came to get me so I could change into my other dress, the one I planned to wear out of the reception hall and to wherever our honeymoon was, I was surprised.

My wedding was over. Now, it was becoming a memory that I would cherish for the rest of our eternity.


	21. 21: The First Night

**i know it's short, and sorry for the super long wait for such a short chapter! i really am. computer issues, lack of time (admittedly due to my fiancé being here all the time, pretty much, but also for other reason) and just other stuff that's come up. no excuses, though. i'll keep updating at a steady pace, hopefully. i think my sister's gonna kill me if i do this again, so, trust me, i'll have another chapter up soon.**

**it'll be hard to do mostly because i'm not entirely sure where i wanna go. i know exactly what's happening, but i don't wanna rush into it. i can make a super cute romance chapter next or go straight into the storyline.**

**what do you guys think, readers? answer in your reviews, please. :)**

**anyways, sorry for the long wait, once again. thanks for sticking with this story, and i hope you enjoy, even if there's not much here to enjoy. :P reviews greatly appreciated! there isn't one required for the next chapter, simply because this one's so short after waiting so long, but it would be nice. :3 plus i want opinions. :3**

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><p>20. It's Time: Imagine Dragons<br>**21. First Time: Lifehouse**

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><p>Edward told me as we were getting on our plane that this was just a temporary location. Over the summer, he had a much more romantic and exotic honeymoon planned.<p>

For now, we were staying in the continental U.S. Actually, when we got off of the airplane, I knew exactly where we were headed.

Well . . . I thought I did. The cold and slow drive up one of the Appalachian Mountains in Colorado, passing by all the resorts along the way, made me wonder.

What exactly was going on here?

Edward was laughing at how muddled I looked. I was confused, though, and I was gawking at the sign that said, "Resorts behind, turn back."

"Don't worry, love," he murmured. "I know where we're going."

And, naturally, I trusted that. Instead of questioning him with every minute that passed, I just observed the beautiful snowy mountains around me.

It seemed like forever before he stopped the car, and I mean forever. When he did, however, I realized that we were in the most beautiful cabin.

Literally. It was a log cabin mansion, quite beautiful but still rather quaint in the middle of the mountains and trees, and to my surprise, there was smoke coming out of the chimney.

The cabin was huge. Like their house, there was a grand front door with a porch swing and porch light guiding us there. Other than its size and grand doors, it looked just like any other log cabin—fancy log cabins anyways.

At any rate, before I knew it, Edward was opening the front door, our luggage in one hand and the doorknob in the other. While I gawked at our surroundings, he just smiled lovingly at me and said, "Welcome to our mountain home, Mrs. Cullen."

Hearing that, once again, sent my heart into rapid spasms, and unfortunately, he could hear it, so he actually laughed at me a little while I just stuck my tongue out at him.

The funny thing was, even though we have forever, he didn't waste any time and immediately began sliding me out of my jacket before the door was even closed for five seconds.

It made me giggle. "Someone's in a hurry, I see."

"Why waste any time?" he murmured, and his lips began hungrily kissing down my neck. "Besides, you had this coming, trying to drag it out like this. What do you expect me to do?"

"Give me a few human moments to go pee and freshen up?" I suggested.

Like I figured, he began pouting. "Uhh! Fine, but I'll be naked on the bed when you get done."

Of course, he knew that would hurry me up. Why wouldn't it? This was part of being married, getting to spend these intimate moments together. I mean, marriage isn't just about being able to have sex whenever you want to, but it's definitely a perk.

To say I _literally _rushed into the bathroom to pee is no exaggeration. I was running, and I peed as fast as I possibly could. More than that, I brushed my teeth, put on some more deodorant, and sprayed myself a bit with some perfume. Once I did that, I was all set to go.

I decided to match Edward and just wore my birthday suit out of the bathroom, even though I had all those nice things I got at my bachelorette party. This was much simpler, and those were by the door anyways.

He was laughing as I ran and jumped on him, feeling much more comfortable than what I hear new brides are with their new husbands.

Still, it was Edward, and even though we were both naked, we had seen it before, for one, and for another, why should we be worried?

"What's so funny?" I demanded.

"You were gone for about sixty seconds," he laughed. "Guess me waiting naked for you fired you up." And when saying that, he deviously wiggled his eyebrows at me.

I couldn't help but laugh with him and shrugged my shoulders. "What can I say? It's definitely a sight worth seeing more than once. After all, you _are_ my sexy vampire." And I wiggled my eyebrows right back.

Instead of talking anymore, he just pulled me into a passionate kiss, where our first night as a married couple began.


	22. 22: Changes

**i tried to make a romantic chapter, really, but it just kinda flowed into the storyline as well. so, sorry about that. X3 anyways, it's here-the next chapter that is-and i hope you enjoy it. review for more!**

**btw...if you're confused in this chapter, refer back to chapter one of Divided. it explains what you might have forgotten or overlooked. :)**

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><p>20. It's Time: Imagine Dragons<br>21. First Time: Lifehouse  
><strong>22. Feels Like Tonight: Daughtry<strong>

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><p>I was surprised to find Edward gone when I woke up the next morning, but he wasn't as far away as I initially thought. Instead, he was just in the kitchen making breakfast.<p>

I had to put clothes on, and not the clothes I got at my bachlorette party, either. Despite the fireplaces in every room, all of which were lit, it was still cold, so I had to put on some warm and cozy pajamas.

Edward was smiling as I walked up behind him, cocking an eyebrow at him. "What? Am I not allowed to make you breakfast?"

"Just didn't expect it," I admitted sheepishly. "Waffles? Bacon? I'm definitely gonna miss this."

He laughed. "Just this?"

"Pretty much," I grinned. "I mean, what else is there to miss? Karma, I guess, but that's about it."

"I wouldn't write Brynk off just yet," he said lightly. "She's still so confused about all of this."

"She seems to know what she wants, though," I disagreed. "We'll see, though."

"That we will."

We spent the day just being together, surprisingly. I thought, honestly, that it would be nothing but sex, but no. We went hiking in the snow. Of course, we had to do _something _to warm me up when we got back, but it wasn't all day, all the time.

It was incredible.

As the day went on, I thought we would run out of things to do, but no. He seemed to have everything planned out.

But . . . something strange happened as we sat down and cuddled on the couch, watching the movie _The Switch_. I had always wanted to see it, and he got it to watch with me.

I started cramping, and I mean period cramps.

Almost as instantly as it hit me, I gasped. Edward was looking over at me with wide eyes, especially as I grabbed my stomach and fell over on the couch, but he didn't just sit there long. Before I knew it, I was in his lap, and he was softly rubbing my face.

"Baby . . . what is it?"

"My uterus is falling out," I groaned painfully. To my complete horror, tears began filling my eyes. "Ah."

"Has this ever happened before?" he asked slowly, eyes widened a little.

I shook my head quickly. "No. Remember? I don't have the right hormones for pregnancy or even cramps. Anything menstrual related, it doesn't happen."

He made a weird face that I didn't understand. "Uh . . . maybe you should go check?"

I knew what that meant, and if it wasn't Edward, I would probably feel embarrassed. But, it was, so I didn't really mind it. Still, my cheeks were burning as I rushed into the bathroom.

Sure enough, I was bleeding.

It was so surprising to me that I slammed back into the wall behind me, hurting myself in the process. When Edward rushed in here to check on me, I was in the floor against the wall in the fetal position, shaking.

"W-What's going on?"

"Maybe your body fixed itself and you're normal now?" he tried.

I shook my head quickly. "It's n-not possible. The doctors said it would never happen."

"Mayze, you also said that doctors had never seen anything like you before," he reminded me. "They can't say for sure."

"That's not true," I protested quietly. "One had. She had the same problem, remember? She said there was no way. Unless I got the hormone."

"Well, none of us gave it to you," he assured me. "None of your family. How would you not know if someone gave it to you? It would've had to have been two nights ago that you got it for this to just start happening now. No one was with you."

He knew something was wrong when I didn't respond. My face was pale in horror, but immediately, I began crying before I even realized it. My tears were actually hot on my cold face. Everything inside of me froze to the point I was shaking uncontrollably.

"Mayze?" he managed to choke out. "What are you not telling me?"

"It's . . . not possible," I whispered firmly, mostly to myself. "Not possible."

How would he even know? I didn't even remember the name of the hormone I needed. How on earth would he know? No one knew except the doctors. Renée and Charlie, of course, didn't remember the name of it. Bella might've, but she never talked about it.

"What is going on?" he asked quietly. "What did you hide from me?"

I took a deep but very shaky breath. "I couldn't tell you. Couldn't ruin this. You've waited over a century for this, and I couldn't let it be ruined."

He knew exactly what I was talking about. It didn't have to be said because knew. Once again, I saw the tears, which I decided had to be venom, pouring down his cheeks as he _literally _punched a hole in the bathroom wall.

It scared me, to the point I jumped. "Edward, calm down! Please!"

"Calm down?!" he barked. "You kept this from me, Mayze! He came back! The night before our wedding! And you didn't tell me! All that happiness wasn't real! It was faked for me!"

"No it wasn't, and you know that," I snapped. "None of it was fake. I didn't even think about it. Until now, it was in the back of mind. All I've been thinking about is this perfect piece of our forever."

He was shaking, too, as he slid down to the floor beside me. "Did . . . what happened?"

"He killed Auggie," I whispered. "Cut her up and splattered her blood all over the bathroom. He killed someone and covered himself in the guy's skin. I didn't realize it was him until yesterday morning, but when he first came in, I put my training to use and pushed him out the window. I didn't even know he came back until the next morning."

He had to swallow in order to go on. "How did you know?"

"A note, pictures . . . this isn't about hurting me anymore," I said quietly. "He's not coming back until I'm alone. He won't do this anymore."

"What do you mean?" he asked, voice almost inaudible for me. Still, it was choked and raspy. "What did the note say?"

"He realized he didn't love Katharine, that he'll only ever love me," I said bluntly. I decided that it was better to just tell him now, get it over it. "He's not raping me anymore, though he somehow knew that you took my virginity. Guess it's not too hard to figure out. The point is . . . he apologized and told me that one day, I would love him and leave you by my own choice. Apologized for killing Auggie. He said he's putting you guys to good use and letting you change me. Then we'll be together, apparently. I don't know what he has planned, but somehow, he seems to believe I'll be a vampire sooner than I think."

His eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know, but he said, 'You'll be a vampire soon. I promise.' Just the way it was said . . . I don't know what he has planned, but we don't have to worry about him anymore. Until I'm a vampire anyways."

"And you believe that?"

"He's never lied before," I reminded him. "I'm not saying we have to stop keeping an eye out for him, but I don't think he's coming back until then."

He took a deep breath. "Do you mind if I step out for a minute? I need to break a few trees so I don't break the house anymore."

"I'll be here," I said quietly. "And Edward?"

He was already up and walking out the bathroom door when I said this, but he stopped and looked back to me with pained and angered eyes. "Yes, love?"

"I'm sorry," I said softly. "I'm not saying I would change it if I could go back, but I am saying I'm sorry I hurt you."

He sighed, knowing this was the best he was getting, and nodded. "I understand, Mayze. I appreciate the thought behind it."

"Was it everything you hoped for?" I asked hopefully.

To my surprise, he actually smiled a little. "No, Mayze. It was more than I could've hoped for—all of it."

That made my smile widen drastically. "Well I'm glad. Now, go punch some trees. I'm gonna make myself some hot chocolate."

He didn't say anything else as he did just that—left to go punch some trees. I guess I should've expected him to need something like that, but I still felt a little guilty. Still, the wedding was better than he could've ever hoped for, so I accomplished that goal.

Like I told him, after I managed to find a pad in the house to use, I made myself some hot chocolate and went over to start the movie over. I wasn't sure if we would have to talk more or if punching trees would be enough for him, but I really hoped that this conversation was done for the time being.

When Edward got back, I was surprised when he began tenderly massaging my shoulders, gently kissing my neck. I nearly dropped my hot chocolate because it felt so good, but he didn't stop there. When he got done with my shoulders, he massaged my neck, then my upper back. Before I knew it, I was laying down, and he was giving me a full body massage.

Let me just tell you. That was very nice and so relaxing. Funny thing was, I had just gotten one the morning before, but Edward's did more for me than that one did.

I let out a sigh of content as I sat back up and curled up into his arms, playing the movie again so we could, hopefully, watch it this time. "So what are we gonna do the rest of the week now?"

"Mayze, we can do more than just have sex," he reminded me. "We'll figure something out."

I didn't doubt that one bit.


	23. 23: Boom

**i don't wanna give anything away . . . so i just won't say anything. XD except that reading and reviewing would be very much appreciated. :) i hope you enjoy it as well.**

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><p><strong><strong>20. It's Time: Imagine Dragons  
>21. First Time: Lifehouse<br>22. Feels Like Tonight: Daughtry  
><strong>23. Haunted: Taylor Swift<strong>

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><p>When I woke up the next morning, I couldn't even stand up without passing out. More than that, I was running a really high fever. Edward was worried, enough that he called Carlisle. I wasn't just running a fever, but I was really cold, too. I got to the point where I was crying because my fever was so high. That was when he decided that it would be best if we just went on home.<p>

I felt awful about that, but Carlisle could help me whereas Edward was just panicking. Like I said, he needed a new hobby.

The flight was long and very hard. I threw up a couple of times, but it wasn't so bad. It was just cold and full of turbulence. That didn't help my headache at all.

Everyone was waiting for us when we got home. Emmett started to make a joke about how sex with Edward made me sick, but when he saw us both, how worried and upset Edward was, he thought better of it.

No one was happy. Charlie, Bella, and Jake had found out what happened, so everyone knew now. It was a dismal time, especially whenever we came across something that reminded us of Auggie.

I couldn't even look at Pookie the same anymore.

Bella came to visit me, wouldn't leave my side even when I didn't need anything. Charlie and Edward did the same, though it was easier for them considering they didn't have the same human needs Bella did—such as peeing.

I was surprised when Jake came over, bringing Embry and Seth with him. Sure, we were on new terms, but it surprised me.

When Embry saw me, his eyes widened a little. "Wow, Mayze. You look like hell."

"I could say the same for you," I snorted, smirking as best as I could.

He pretended that hurt him as he put his hand over his heart. "Well. Why don't you just tell it like it is?"

"I already did," I said playfully, and he actually laughed.

I was equally surprised to see Peyton here with Seth. It had been _forever _since I saw her, though she was at the wedding. Even still, I didn't really have much time to see her considering all that was going on.

Seth was right to keep her back, mostly because we had no idea what was wrong with me. It wasn't the flu or strep. Carlisle checked, and it didn't sound like pneumonia.

That's why Edward was so worried. We didn't know what was wrong with me.

She smiled timidly at me. "I hope you get better. They're all worried sick about you."

"I'll live," I laughed, though saying that made Edward cringe. I felt a little bad, but it was true. If worse came to worse, I could always be changed, but that wasn't what I wanted.

I wanted to pull through this as a human. I didn't want to come out a vampire, not yet. Now wasn't the time.

Alice gracefully danced into the room, her face impassive. "Hopefully."

"Why is everyone being so pessimistic?" I asked curiously, surprised I was still laughing. "I'm gonna be fine."

"Alice . . . can't see you?" Embry asked slowly, eyes moving over to Edward immediately.

Edward grimaced. "All she can see as of now is Mayze as a vampire, which she is very stubbornly protesting against. I don't understand _why_, but she keeps insisting that now isn't the time to change her. And refuses."

"If it has to be done, it has to be done, but I really don't think that now is the time," I said firmly.

Alice surprised me when she looked over at Bella with furrowed eyebrows. "What is it, Bella?"

"Just thinking about something," she said quietly, voice barely loud enough for me to hear. "I'll explain when I'm done."

That actually concerned me, concerned everyone, but we didn't ask and instead decided to leave her, and that, alone.

Esme entered right about then, a little concerned as well as she brought me the soup she had prepared. She placed a hand—like I said, not cold and not warm either—on my forehead and sighed. "Well, it's still there, but your fever has gone down a bit."

Edward did the same thing and sighed in relief. "It has."

It was nice having him sitting beside me, letting me lay on him instead of having to be completely alone. I liked holding him, having him close to me, and what better time than now?

Jake came and sat down by Bella, but while he rubbed her back comfortingly, he gave me a smile. "Besides this weird sickness, how do you feel?"

"I'm quite happy," I said lightly, smiling right back at him. "Things have turned out to be, well, perfect."

He snorted. "Perfect?"

"Perfect," I repeated, though Edward actually scoffed about that. "I don't understand why you two seem to think that my life isn't perfect."

"Things have definitely turned up for the better," Rose agreed with me, sticking her tongue out at the two of them.

Jake smirked at her. "Alright, Blondie. If you say so."

She flipped him off as she stood from the chair she was sitting in. Jake, to everyone's amusement, actually jumped a little in fear, worried she was coming over to kill him. To say that we all nearly died because we were laughing so hard—figuratively speaking, of course—is only a slight exaggeration, though some of us weren't exactly considered to be "living."

At any rate, it was funny, especially as Rose came over to sit on the other side of me. That was all she was doing, but she was quite pleased to find out that Jake was scared of her.

Everyone could hear my stomach making weird noises, so they knew I was about to blow chunks. Edward had me in the bathroom before I knew it, and to my dismay, he didn't leave either, even when I was throwing up.

He was so upset when I looked back to him, so much so that his eyes looked venomy. "Why won't you let me make this better?"

"Now's not the time," I said softly, placing a hand on his cheek with a very small smile.

"Why not?" he demanded. "No one at school will know. You'll look the same. Why not now?"

"I don't know," I said simply, shrugging a little. "I can't tell you why because I don't really know myself, but I _do _know that now isn't the time."

He sighed. "I guess I can't make you do this."

"Not without some serious consequences, yes," I laughed. "You could always do it anyways, but we all know you would never."

"Never."

As he helped me stand back up, I began looking in the mirror. Embry was right—I looked like hell. My eyes were black, all the way around, and my skin was paler than Edward's. Even my lips weren't the same color as usual, and my eyes didn't seem to be as bright of a blue as normal either.

Surprisingly, though, I noticed something unusual that made me laugh a little.

Edward cocked an eyebrow at me. "What?"

"I'm getting fat," I laughed, pointing to my stomach. "See the bump right there?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Mayze, you're not getting fat. Just look at your arms, your ribs."

I gestured to my boobs, which actually seemed bigger than normal as well. "Uh huh. I'm getting fat."

His eyebrows furrowed because, of course, he noticed, too. "Well . . . that is weird, but you're not getting fat."

"Fat my ass," Rose snorted from the doorway. "Come on, Mayze. We need to get you sitting back down."

I nodded and let the two of them help me back, though both weren't necessary. Still, it was nice to be moved around at a human pace.

When we got back to the room, Bella slowly stood up and looked at me, eyes wide with worry and fear. She was actually shaking a little, especially when she looked at me.

"You said . . . you said that you had a period," she whispered, voice really low once again. "But that's not supposed to be possible."

"I know how that happened," I disagreed, eyebrows furrowing. It was hard to stand here, but I wanted to talk to her while standing up.

Her eyes widened even more. "Blade?"

I quirked my mouth to the side and nodded. "It's my only guess, yeah."

"But it's already gone," she continued on, now looking quite disturbed. She was scared out of her mind about something, but I didn't understand what she was getting at.

"It is."

Now, Edward was growing rigid beside me, clearly putting pieces together faster than I was. He didn't say anything, though, and deemed it best to let her finish whatever her theory was.

"You say it's not possible, but . . . what if it is?" she asked, eyes on Carlisle. "All of her signs . . . they only lead to one thing."

Carlisle was shaking his head. "That kind of thing is unheard of."

"But not impossible," Edward choked out, and to my complete surprise, he actually fell to his knees, eyes on nothing but whatever was in front of him. He wasn't looking, though, because his mind was somewhere else.

"No," Carlisle finally answered, eyes full of pain and fear—the same kind as Bella's—when he looked at me. "Not impossible."

"What's going on?" I asked quietly, a little scared to know myself.

Bella was crying now, shaking her head as she fell into Jake's arms. "Carlisle, tell me that's not what's happening."

"I-I-We'll need to run some tests before we can say for sure," he stuttered out, and that alone scared me more than anything else.

"What's going on?" Charlie demanded. "Is Mayze in danger?"

"Mayze, you're not getting fat," Edward breathed, voice full of so much emotion that I couldn't even begin to decipher it. "You're pregnant."


	24. 24: It

**hehe. :D**

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><p>20. It's Time: Imagine Dragons<br>21. First Time: Lifehouse  
>22. Feels Like Tonight: Daughtry<br>23. Haunted: Taylor Swift  
><strong>24. Gravity: Sara Bareilles<strong>

* * *

><p>I don't actually know what I was feeling. Mostly, I didn't understand. I didn't understand how this could happen, what to do. Edward and Carlisle, after the initial shock, began talking about how dangerous this was, and while I was quiet and in my own head to figure it all out, the two of them—along with Charlie, Jake, and Embry—were talking about getting it out. Rose, Esme, and surprisingly Seth were all protesting. They didn't think they needed to remove it.<p>

It . . . referring to the baby inside of me.

As I sat there on the bed, I began to realize that I was scared. I was worried what would happen. I was also sad.

Whose baby was this?

The moment that thought came to mind, Blade's plan was so obvious. I was couldn't breathe for a few seconds, but when I could, I whimpered.

That shut everyone up, immediately.

Edward's eyes were wide. "Mayze, is it hurting you?"

I shook my head, though the tears didn't make that seem very convincing. "This . . . is his new plan. He knew it was possible . . . and wanted me to have his child."

Edward's face grew pale in horror. Of course, that thought hadn't occurred to him. Was this even his child?

Bella began sobbing. "That monster! Get that out of her!"

"Wait just a second!" I exclaimed suddenly, something that surprised everyone again. "What if it isn't his?"

"It doesn't matter," Embry said firmly. "That thing will kill you."

I was surprised when I glared at him. "That _thing _you're referring to is my baby."

"Mayze . . . we don't know what this will do," Edward whispered. "We have to do this. Besides, what if it's his?"

"We'll figure it out as we go," I said quietly. "But I can't do this."

"Mayze, you have to do this," Charlie disagreed. "A vampire baby? It'll tear you apart."

"You don't know that," I protested. "No one knows anything about what's happening to me. I can't do this, though."

Bella was in shock. "Can you really raise the baby of the vampire who raped you?"

She didn't mean to upset Edward with that, but what she said also made me smile a little. That, I think, surprised everyone more than anything I had done. "My biological mother was raped and still had me."

No one could say anything after that. What could they say? If she hadn't done that, I wouldn't be here, and I wasn't going to let them take away this baby's opportunity to say the same thing.

"Mayze . . . it'll kill you," Edward said quietly.

"Mothers get told that all the time and still do it," I reminded him. "Maybe it's different this time, but this . . . I have to do this. I can't let you take this child out of me."

Esme, to my surprise, came over and sat down beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "She's right."

Rose nodded and came to sit behind me, resting her chin on the same shoulder Esme had her hand. "You can't do this."

"You'd rather let her die?" Jake shot back at them. "That's not a risk I'm willing to take, and I know Edward's not."

"We can't make this decision for her," Carlisle whispered. "This . . . is Mayze's decision."

"No," Edward said quickly, eyes wide as he turned to face Carlisle. "You have to! She doesn't understand!"

"I understand everything you've said," I said firmly. "And don't you dare say I don't understand how strong vampires really are. I understand everything. But _you _don't understand what I'm saying. This is something unknown. You could turn that around and say that it's something we don't wanna get into, but _I'm _saying you can't guarantee anything. What if it's more human than vampire? What if there's nothing to be afraid of?"

"But what if it tears you apart from the inside out before it's even old enough to be born?" Edward shot back.

I clenched my teeth together, bracing myself for the tears that began to fall. "You can't change my mind. What if my mother had decided the same thing you're trying to get me to decide? I wouldn't be here."

He knew he was defeated, so instead of trying to convince me, he just got down on his knees beside my bed and buried his face in my hands. "I can't lose you."

"You won't," I promised him. "I'll be okay."

"Don't promise me something you can't keep," he told me darkly, eyes tight as he looked up to me.

"I'm not," I said simply, giving him a small smile that shocked everyone. Even with him giving me that dark and scary look, I still smile? "I think I can do this."

He rolled his eyes. "Because you think you can do everything."

"Don't you think you've pushed your luck with the supernatural long enough?" Embry snorted.

I shrugged. "It's worked so far."

Charlie knew he couldn't convince me either, so instead, he just sat at the foot of my bed, looking at me with his reddish brown eyes. "You sure about this?"

"Positive."

Bella was shaking her head. "I don't understand."

"You will one day," I murmured, and I found myself looking down at my stomach now. "So . . . there's something in there?"

"Maybe," Carlisle humorlessly laughed. "We haven't run any tests or anything. Don't get your hopes up, Mayze."

I was grinning from ear-to-ear, though. "I think I already have."

Despite how happy I was, I noticed Edward growing more and more miserable. I guess I could understand, but he also needed to understand _my _point. Would he ever? Probably not. One day, he would see. If this baby didn't kill me too quickly, even if it killed me in the end, this was the right decision.

I just knew I had to survive this whole mess. I had to survive carrying the baby for nine months, and I had to survive birthing it.

"Well, hang on a second," Peyton said quietly, reminding us all once again that she was, in fact, here. "Doesn't it take close to a month of being pregnant for symptoms to start showing up?"

That was something none of us had thought about. She was right, though. Up until a little over a week ago, it wasn't even possible for me to be pregnant.

So . . . how was I already showing signs? Developing a bump?

"I think we need to start looking into this, seeing if there's anything we can find that might help us," Carlisle said solemnly. "You're correct, Peyton, so that would mean this baby is growing at a rapid rate. Who knows when it'll be time to have it?"

I took a deep breath and braced myself to stand up. "So, we should probably get started then. If we don't find anything, we'll just have to wing it."

Edward hated hearing that, but he decided that now wasn't the time to sulk. Instead, he helped me stand up and wrapped his arms around my waist, giving me comfort and support when I needed it most.

"We've got a lot to do then."


	25. 25: The Time of My Life

**Ski74, I think I've figured out your question, and this chapter pretty much answers that for you. :)**

**anyways, please enjoy. :) i've decided that i'm not gonna ask for reviews anymore. chapters will come as i write them. reviews, though, are greatly appreciated, but they are your choice. i'm not gonna force it, ya know?**

**the most important thing is that you enjoy what you're reading. sure, reviewing does help me know what i'm doing right, what i'm doing wrong, but i am not requiring them anymore. :) thank you for sticking with me for so long. Torn is, I think, coming to an end, and trust me when I say you're in for a surprise. A few surprises, actually. haha.**

**read and enjoy! :)**

* * *

><p>20. It's Time: Imagine Dragons<br>21. First Time: Lifehouse  
>22. Feels Like Tonight: Daughtry<br>23. Haunted: Taylor Swift  
>24. Gravity: Sara Bareilles<br>**25. All About Us: He Is We feat. Owl City**

* * *

><p>Despite Edward's constant protests, I was up and getting ready for school Monday. I didn't feel <em>great<em>, but I had felt worse before.

My stomach was already growing some more. I even felt the baby moving inside of me, which scared everyone. Rose, however, found it fascinating, and she was always so thrilled to feel it.

I had to wear baggy clothes, of course, or anything that didn't show my slightly protruding stomach. Really, I didn't care if people thought I _was _pregnant, but they couldn't see the quick progression my pregnancy was taking. If this was indeed happening quickly, who knows when I'll have the baby?

Angela saw me glowing and was glowing herself. "How was the honeymoon? I don't mean details because trust me, Mayze, I don't need those."

I laughed. "Well, it was actually lots of fun. The cabin was beautiful."

That was another thing. We decided to not tell anyone we came home early because it was just easier that way.

"I'm glad your dad finally got over that rough patch of pneumonia," she told me. "He seemed to be feeling a lot better at the wedding, and he went back to work over the break."

I nodded. "He's so glad, too. Very glad to be back into the normal swing of things."

She looked over at Bella with a smile. "Were you behind the decorating?"

Bella, though very worried, actually smiled at her and shook her head. "That was all Alice. I think Rose helped some, too, but that was her."

Angela then turned to Alice, who was laughing, and smiled. "You did amazing."

Alice was beaming at her. "Thanks."

Edward knew he had to pretend to be happy, so of course he was smiling down at me. "You alright?"

"Fine," I assured him. Luckily for me, I didn't have to _pretend _anything. I was genuinely happy. "Remind me when we get home. I need to call Brynk, Karma, Sapphire, and Oliver."

He nodded. "I will. Leah and Brady were told not to say anything until the tests Carlisle ran came back, mostly because I think Sam wanted you to tell them. He's . . . very livid."

I made a face. "I don't care what he says."

"You should," he disagreed. "Mayze . . . this is serious stuff. No one knows what this thin—it is gonna be. There's too much uncertainty."

I sighed. "Maybe, but it doesn't change things."

He slowly shook his head. "Have you ever thought, for just one second, about what this could do to me?"

"I think about it all the time," I said quietly, eyes moving over to Angela to make sure she and Alice were still talking about the ceremony and reception. When I realized they were just now starting the reception talk, I knew it was okay. "Will you promise me something?"

"I don't know," he murmured. "Depends. You may be asking something I can't promise."

I scowled. "Fine. Will you please, if what you're afraid of does happen—not saying it will because, quite frankly, I don't think it will—take care of it for me? Stay alive and love it with all your heart."

"Yeah, you were definitely asking something I can't promise," he groaned. "Mayze, I can't. What if . . . what if it's not even mine?"

"It's still mine," I reminded him.

He sighed. "I don't think I can, Mayze."

I frowned. "We'll talk later."

He just rolled his eyes. "Won't change anything."

"Will you please just be happy?" I asked curiously, giving him a loving smile that always cheered him up. "You don't know this isn't gonna turn out for the better. When I'm right and it does, you owe me."

"Okay, deal," he said quietly, and to my surprise, he laughed. "I'll give you whatever you want. Everything has to turn out for the better in _my _opinion, though."

I grinned. "Deal."

Bella sighed. "Mayze, reconsidered? Even after Mom called you last night?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Nothing will change my mind."

She scowled. "I was afraid of that."

"You'll love it," I promised her.

Her eyes began filling with tears. "But will you still be here to love it, too?"

I was grinning madly as I nodded. "Of course I will."

Edward shook his head. "You're counting too much on the venom. It doesn't always work. Sometimes, people in normal situations don't even make it, much less what you're putting yourself through."

I shrugged. "I didn't say I needed it. What if I don't?"

His eyebrows rose dubiously. "That's your plan? Make it through all of this and still somehow be able to remain human?"

I nodded. "Precisely. And, if that doesn't work, the venom's always an option."

"Absolutely idiotic," he muttered under his breath. "I cannot even begin to fathom what goes on in that head of yours."

I smirked. "No one can."

* * *

><p>From that first day back, things went about the same. I only lasted a week at school, though, and even that was pushing it. By a week, I looked six months pregnant, so it was time to stop school. I looked awful my last day, so people began wondering if I was really sick. I was losing a lot of weight, besides the protruding stomach, and my skin was really pale—more than normal. When I walked into my last period Friday, the teacher told Edward to take me home immediately.<p>

That's why it was easy for Carlisle to say that I had the flu. If necessary, we would also add that it turned into pneumonia. Angela tried to stop by and see how I was, but they warned her I was very contagious and didn't need to be seen. Really, I wasn't wearing a sweatshirt and was instead walking around with a huge belly and a t-shirt on. Now, all I could fit into comfortably was Emmett's.

Rosalie was constantly by my side, as was Edward. Bella, when she could be there, was there, as was Charlie and Renée. Ember came by as well, and of course, it wasn't long before all of the Denalis were here.

To tell you the truth, I think there was something going on between Tanya and Charlie. It was hard to tell because they didn't show anything around me, but I don't know. I guess only time would tell.

Embry, Seth, and Jacob were here a lot, too. Sometimes, Jacob and Edward would leave to talk about something they didn't want me to hear, and they both refused to explain when they got back. From the looks on Embry, Ember, and Seth's faces . . . it wasn't good.

The week went by slowly. Edward tried to stay home, but for the sake of keeping up appearances, he had to go. He absolutely hated it, but it was what he had to do.

It always killed him when he left and came back to find me worse off than before. Still, he kept his spirits up and tried to be as optimistic about this whole situation as I was.

To my surprise, when we were laying in bed one night, he actually whispered, "Mayze . . . if this child is mine . . . I promise I'll take care of it and love it forever."

"And if it's not?" I asked quietly, voice shaky and raspy. I was growing weaker and weaker, and we were only a week and a half in.

"I'll find it a good home," he promised me. "I'll find someone to take good care of it."

At that point, I knew there was no changing his mind. If it was his baby, he wouldn't kill himself if I died. If it wasn't, he would find it a good home and then kill himself. There was really no way to change that, so instead, I snuggled into his arms and let him hold me.

Death, though it seemed almost imminent, didn't scare me. A part of me knew I would have to be changed, and a part of me kept hoping that I could fight this out, that I could have this child. Even as it constantly kicked my ribs, my stomach, and left bruises all over my body, even breaking a few ribs, I never gave up that hope.

Edward then cheered up, a lot. He was smiling a lot, being his normal self. Even when he saw the state I was in, he kept his mood optimistic and assured anyone who showed doubt that I would be okay.

I don't know what changed his mind, but it made me so happy that I cried a little.

One night, when I couldn't sleep due to the little feet kicking at my rib cage, I felt Edward's presence beside me. It made my heart begin to race immediately, though I was a little surprised. He had been talking to Carlisle while the two hunted together, so I didn't expect him to be back so soon.

Yet here he was, tenderly kissing down my neck, whispering how much he loved me.

I couldn't help but smile as my eyes began to flutter shut. "Hi there."

"Hello, yourself," he murmured. "Can I steal you away for a minute?"

"To do what exactly?"

He didn't answer but instead began helping me sit up. I didn't realize that Rose was even in here until he turned me towards the door, where she was eyeing him skeptically.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"She may not have much longer as a human, and I want to make her final days the best they can be," he said softly, surprisingly calm despite Rose's skepticism.

Rose then let us pass, and Edward carefully helped me move downstairs. I think they were planning on moving me downstairs anyways so that it was easier on me to get around, but for now, I was still in our room.

As soon as we got downstairs, I was surprised to find it lit up by candles with music softly playing in the background. It was empty, and as Rose followed us down, she was quick to disappear just like everyone else had.

I didn't know what to say, but when his lips softly came down to meet mine, I realized that I didn't have to say anything. All I had to do was hold onto him and kiss him as much as I could.

The faster my heart beat, the more the baby kicked. I hated it, but I had to pull away from him in order to breathe.

He seemed to feel it, and he even placed his hands on my stomach gently. "Shh. Let your mommy breathe."

"It can't understand you," I laughed quietly.

To my surprise, though, it stopped kicking.

He smirked down at me. "Maybe it can."

"I feel bad calling the baby 'it,'" I admitted sheepishly. "I say it's going to be a girl."

"What if it's a boy?" he asked curiously, cocking an eyebrow at me as he smiled. "I say it'll be a boy."

"Well, if it's a boy, we'll name him Elliot Jembreth, and if it's a girl, we'll name her Elliora Rosabellice," I said lightly.

He seemed surprised by the names, especially the middle names, but I guess he wasn't surprised to find that I had thought this through. "Do I get no say?"

"If you would like one, sure," I agreed. "What do you want to name them?"

"I think those names are . . . perfect," he said lightly, eyes lighting up as my smile did. Then, he did something very surprising as well. He, very quickly, left my side to change the song. Before I could even realize he was gone, though, he was back holding me.

The song . . . it was one I recognized, a song I didn't even realize he knew existed. It was on my playlist, sure, but I didn't know he even paid attention to it anymore.

_All About Us _by He Is We featuring Owl City was such a good song. Also romantic and great for dancing to.

That's exactly what he had in mind, too. Very careful, he held his hand out to me for me to take.

Of course, I did. It was hard to stand, though, so he gently picked me up so that I could step on his feet and let him completely lead the dance.

I wasn't as close to him as I normally was due to the large bump on my stomach, but I was as close as I could be. He could feel the baby moving as vividly as I could, so this moment was absolutely perfect.

I even sang along quietly, which he loved even more.

The song came to an end, unfortunately, but as soon as it did, his lips captured mine again in a sweet, loving embrace. Strangely enough, the baby didn't fight and instead let this happen.

And it was absolutely incredible.


	26. 26: Getting Better

**sorry it's so short! i actually got a couple of reviews, which was awesome. :)**

**sorry there's no super long pregnancy. i REALLY don't want this to be like _Breaking Dawn_, so I made sure to keep it away from that. if there are similarities, i'm sorry. truly, i am. i don't want there to be._  
><em>**

**anyways, i'll put more up later. for now, i hope you enjoy this short filler chapter leading into the next chapter, which is gonna be . . . interesting. haha.**

**enjoy! :) thank you for reading up to this point! i hope you continue to do so. :)**

* * *

><p>20. It's Time: Imagine Dragons<br>21. First Time: Lifehouse  
>22. Feels Like Tonight: Daughtry<br>23. Haunted: Taylor Swift  
>24. Gravity: Sara Bareilles<br>25. All About Us: He is We feat. Owl City  
><strong>26. Keep Your Head Up: Andy Grammar<strong>

* * *

><p>Before I knew it, I was three weeks pregnant and unable to move. I was growing weaker and weaker every day, and I looked like the life was literally being sucked out of me.<p>

Carlisle didn't know what to do. The baby was hungry, so it was having to feed off me. I couldn't keep food down, though. Any time I tried to eat, I threw it right back up.

I was absolutely miserable, but I had to fight through for the baby. I had to come out of this human for reasons no one even knew.

Blade wanted me to have his baby and become a vampire. My plan was to have Edward's baby and come out of this alive. I didn't want to become a vampire until Blade was dead. He wouldn't have the satisfaction.

That's why I had to do this.

Brynk, Karma, Oliver, and Sapphire found out about the baby and came up immediately. I wasn't happy at all when I found out _why _they were coming up.

They were all moving up here because they dropped out of school. According to Brynk, they didn't need it, and if they were living forever, they would have plenty of time to finish high school.

If I wasn't so weak, I would've beat the hell out of all of them. One month away from graduating! That was all they had left!

Brynk and Karma were always there. Oliver and Sapphire came and went, mostly because that made Brady and Leah feel better. Being there all the time with me scared them.

I began to piece together what Jacob and Edward always stepped out to talk about. The pack, specifically Sam, were outraged about this baby. Since no one knew what to expect, they were threatening to kill everyone who got in their way—including me.

Jacob, Seth, Ember, Embry, and even Jared were fighting them tooth and nail. Jared never came here, but I heard Jacob telling Edward he was fighting as well.

Maybe he did somewhat care about me.

This was hurting Bella. She was so close to all of the pack, but to hear them talking about ripping apart her sister if necessary . . . it killed her. Sam didn't realize it yet, but I don't think he was going to be able to hurt anyone. He would have to hurt Bella in the process, and they couldn't hurt an imprint. It was one of their sacred rules.

Still, everyone was so torn. Leah and Brady couldn't say, "Kill Mayze if you have to," but they were terrified of what the baby might be. They were worried for the safety of their imprints. Quil was the same way.

Ember, though he was new, knew that if he didn't fight to stop them, it would kill Renée. Jacob couldn't lose me. Neither could Embry or Seth. Jared . . . I don't really know. Either way, he was fighting to keep me alive, and the baby if it meant keeping me alive.

I would die for this baby, clearly.

Embry and Seth were here at the moment, done fighting with Sam for the day. Jacob, however, was still in La Push fighting. Charlie was pacing back and forth, not sure what to do. The living room was getting quite crowded nowadays. Brynk and Karma never left. Edward, Rose, Charlie, Esme, Emmett, and Alistair rarely ever left—only to hunt, and that became rarer and rarer for the first three. Edward, though, did have to go to school sometimes, so that put him gone a little more. Renée, Alice, Oliver, Sapphire, Jasper, Carlisle, Jacob, Embry, Seth, and Bella were here pretty much all the time, not quite as often as the rest. Then, there were other people who came some, such as Quil, Leah, or Brady.

The day Jared showed up surprised me. He came by, apologized for everything, and asked me to forgive him. Of course, I did, and he wished me luck. Told me not to die. He even stayed a while to help out any way he could.

He helped more than he even realized. He came up with the idea for me to drink blood for the vampire baby, and let me tell you, it helped so much that I was actually able to stand up and walk around.

You have no idea how much blood I drank. If I told you, you'd probably be sick. I drank enough that I was able to eat, too, and I drank enough that Karma actually _did _get sick just from watching me.

Either way, things got much better.


	27. 27: Perfect Disaster

**I can't put spoilers in this, sooooo...I'll put my author's note at the end of the chapter. just in case someone hasn't read this chapter yet. X3**

* * *

><p>20. It's Time: Imagine Dragons<br>21. First Time: Lifehouse  
>22. Feels Like Tonight: Daughtry<br>23. Haunted: Taylor Swift  
>24. Gravity: Sara Bareilles<br>25. All About Us: He is We feat. Owl City  
>26. Keep Your Head Up: Andy Grammer<br>**27. Not Gonna Die: Skillet**

* * *

><p>The baby needed out.<p>

I woke up to something pounding at my stomach. It was so painful that I couldn't even think about sleeping, and instead, I began looking amidst the crowd of people for Carlisle.

"Carlisle," I breathed, and his eyebrows rose. "Is . . . will the baby be okay if we induce labor?"

He sighed. "Mayze, there's no way to be certain, but I would think so. Judging by your size, you could, in fact, go into labor at any moment now."

"It needs out," I told him. "There's no more room."

Brynk was eyeing me skeptically. "Mayze, are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely positive," I whispered.

"We should wait for Edward to get back," Carlisle murmured. "Rose, can you help Mayze upstairs, please?"

She nodded and began gently lifting me up. Emmett, of course, helped as well because even though Rose was clearly strong enough, it was easier on me if I had at least two people helping me.

"Mayze, I don't think you need to do it that way," Rose said quietly. "I think we should cut it out."

I shook my head. "No. If we have to, we will, but I can do this."

"Can you?" Emmett asked softly. "Mayzie-pop, this is . . . very dangerous."

"I know what I'm doing."

"How is that possible?" Rose asked curiously. "No one even knew this was possible."

"Someone did," I disagreed, and no one said anything else.

Carlisle was waiting in the room we named the delivery room—one of the guest bedrooms that they cleaned out. He had the epidural and everything ready to go, but thankfully, he wasn't doing it.

Rose was doing it, which Edward wasn't too thrilled about. She was delivering it while he stood there ready to bite me if necessary, ready to do whatever he needed to in order to get the baby out and keep me alive.

By the time I had the epidural in me and was laying down, ready to deliver the baby, Edward was back. Carlisle had already induced labor, so he got back just in time. Just in time to hear the pain I was in, waiting for the epidural to kick in.

He held my hand gently, eyes full of pain. "Mayze . . . I don't think you should do it this way."

"She won't change her mind," Rose sighed. "We already tried."

I shook my head. "If necessary, I will, but this is how I want to do it."

The epidural kicked in right about then, so I didn't really feel much anymore. Everything was kind of blurry and funny, but I could hear Rose's beautiful voice—muffled by something—telling me to push. With each word, I did just what she said. I wasn't making a sound, which surprised Edward very much. Even as the baby's head popped out of me, I just bit my tongue and pushed.

There was a clock on the wall in here, and I watched as the minutes ticked by. Within an hour, Rose was shaking as she stood up holding a baby out towards me—a little boy.

But, there was another one in there.

Despite the fact that this beautiful baby, with eyes as blue as mine and a head full of brown hair, was born, I wasn't ready to hold it yet and instead let Edward take him.

"Rose, there's another."

Her eyes were wide. "What?"

I was now panting heavily, scared because the baby was franticly moving around and kicking. "There's another one in there!"

She immediately handed the baby to Edward, who was quick to hand him over to Alice. As she took him to clean him off, the process began all over again.

Now, I could feel the pain. I could feel the baby ripping through me, breaking one of my ribs as it fought to get out of me. Thankfully, even though it kicked my spine, it didn't break it. My spine held strong.

I can't say the same thing for my hip bone. The baby broke that.

Rose was actually crying as she delivered the second one—a beautiful baby girl with bright emerald eyes—even brighter than Edward's—and blonde hair like mine.

"A girl."

Edward was crying, too, especially as he held this little miracle in his arms. "So beautiful . . . ."

I couldn't even breathe right, but in my half-drugged state, I realized that Elliot and Elli would be too confusing. So, instead, I did something different. Instead of naming her Olli after Karma's middle name, I named her Olli after Oliver. Olli Rosabellice Cullen.

"Bring Elliot back in here," Rose called happily. "Hand him to Mayze."

Bella did what she was told, though you could tell by the tears in her eyes and the smile on her face that she didn't want to.

She started to hand him to me, but when she did, Elliot did something that no one even thought about, at least that they ever said.

He bit her finger.

Edward very quickly took Elliot from Bella's arms, but not before putting Olli in mine absentmindedly. "Carlisle! Elliot just bit Bella!"

Of course, the mention of that brought Jacob along, too, but he didn't even look at me and instead panicked about Bella.

Her eyes were wide as she let out a quiet scream. "It . . . burns."

I quietly laid here with my baby girl, eyes wide in horror. Despite the immense pain I was feeling, all the rips and breaks and tears the babies had made along the way, I feared for Bella.

Venom kills the pack. Would it kill her?

Carlisle was panicking. "The bite has already sealed up."

"So, what are you saying?!" Jacob exclaimed. "Is she gonna die?"

Bella was now shaking as she stepped back away from them, her eyes growing wider. "Help . . . me."

I was actually crying now. "Bite her again! Get the venom out!"

Edward looked over to me, eyes wide as he realized that Olli was in my arms. What _I _didn't even realize was that yes, she was in my arms, but she was also chewing on my finger. Bloody as it was, nothing was happening to me.

"He has venom, but she doesn't," Edward whispered.

Carlisle bit down on Bella's finger, but almost the moment he did, he pulled back. "It doesn't matter anymore. The venom has already spread to her heart."

"We have to do something!" Jacob exclaimed.

"There's nothing we can do!" Edward insisted. "Alice, take her somewhere and lay her down. Make her as comfortable as possible, and take Jacob with you. Rose, take Olli and Elliot downstairs. I'll help Mayze."

I was shaking. "Bella . . . ."

"She's gonna be okay, Mayze," Edward promised me. "If it was gonna kill her, it already would have. Just breathe and let me take care of this."

Everything was happening so fast that I couldn't get a grip on things. Twins . . . and the boy changed Bella.

I looked up to the clock in here and realized that two hours. It only took me two hours to have twins, and I did it. I stayed human.

Edward began examining me all over, particularly my finger. "We need to wrap this up, stop the bleeding. What hurts?"

"Everything I can feel," I whispered. "Olli kicked my spine, but it didn't break. When she kicked my rib, it broke."

"Maybe your spine has gone through the process," he suggested. "And that's why, I think, you were able to do this. Parts of you were partially changed while other parts weren't."

It made total sense, but the more time that went on, the more pain I was in. The epidural wore off, and Carlisle gave me some morphine, but it still hurt.

Unfortunately, even after I was okay and cleaned up, I couldn't hold Elliot. They brought Olli in there with me, and Elliot was in here, too. I just wasn't allowed to hold him.

Not until he understood that he can't bite me.

Still, holding this beautiful baby girl in my arms . . . Edward's daughter, my daughter . . . seeing our son sitting right beside us in Edward's arms . . . everything was worth it. The immense joy I felt inside knowing that Blade didn't win, that I remained human while having _Edward's _children . . . words can't even describe it.

I can't express to you the emotions swirling around the room. Jasper probably could, but I'm not Jasper. These babies, so beautiful and captivating, had already won everyone over. With just one look, all they wanted to do was be around them. That's why everyone was in here—all of the Cullens, Charlie, Renée, Embry, Brynk, Alistair, Karma, Oliver, Sapphire, Leah, Brady, Jared, Seth, and Ember . . . .

As I looked at the room around me with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face, I realized that my life, though things weren't always perfect and wonderful, was the best life I could possibly have. Honestly, despite all the bad, I don't know if I would've changed anything. Everything always worked itself out in the end, so now, I had two beautiful babies—half vampire, half mortal—I had the most amazing husband, the most amazing family, the most amazing friends . . . . Everything was better than I ever thought it could be.

The moment, though pretty long, was cut off when Edward let out a soft hiss and Jared slowly began backing up.

"You will not touch my children!" he growled at Jared, whose eyes were wide.

"I-I have no intentions to!" Jared insisted. "Sam hasn't commanded it yet! I just thought you would like to know he's on his way to do it himself!"

"What?" I asked quickly, eyes wide as I clutched Olli close to me.

Seth and Embry were in the doorway, eyes tight and arms folded. Despite Seth's hesitance, Embry had no problem explaining what was happening.

"Sam's on his way to kill anyone who tries to stop him from killing the twins," he said bluntly. "I'm not sure if that means us, too, but we'll have to see."

And sure enough, in the distance, I could hear the growling of wolves—more than I realized he still had—approaching. Embry had told me some more changed with the Denalis and such coming into town so much to check on me, but he never told me that he had _that _many more.

All they knew was what Sam told them. All they knew was that my family was bad, and maybe they thought that about Embry, Seth, Jacob, and Ember, too.

Despite how perfect it all was before, everything was a huge disaster so suddenly.

* * *

><p><strong>if you have previously read this chapter and saw the girl's name is "Elli," i do apologize for the name change, but it was so confusing, even after just one chapter, to put Elli and Elliot. So, i changed it to something close. :)<strong>


	28. 28: Command

**so very sorry that it's been so long! you see, this chapter's short because i wasn't sure how to go on from the place i was. i got through the main part that happened in this chapter, so i didn't know how to finish it without it being stupid and corny, in a way. so, it took me a bit to figure out. quite a bit. :P anyways, here it is! the next chapter, i'm working on now, and i shouldn't have problems. Torn is coming to and end, but there's a final part to the series!**

**i'm also letting you know that there's gonna be another series type deal. maybe not even a series. it may just be one story, or it may be more. i don't wanna drag this out, but if there's more to write, there's more to write, and there's for sure one more to write after the next story of this series, _Mended_. :)**

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><p>20. It's Time: Imagine Dragons<br>21. First Time: Lifehouse  
>22. Feels Like Tonight: Daughtry<br>23. Haunted: Taylor Swift  
>24. Gravity: Sara Bareilles<br>25. All About Us: He is We feat. Owl City  
>26. Keep Your Head Up: Andy Grammer<br>27. Not Gonna Die: Skillet  
><strong>28. The Fight: The Classic Crime<strong>

* * *

><p>I was surprised when Embry, Seth, Ember, and Jared all took off running, followed by Edward, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, and Rose. Before I knew it, Jacob—in wolf form—was rushing down the stairs to fight as well.<p>

All I could do was clutch Olli close as I pressed myself into the back of the bedframe, my eyes full of tears. Esme, of course, was ready to go out there if she needed to, but she instead stayed with the rest of us.

Renée was bawling while Oliver and Sapphire begged Brady and Leah to do something. Carlisle disappeared as well, but I think he went to go check on Bella because he didn't go the same way as everyone else.

I heard growling and fighting downstairs, in the actual house, so I did something I don't think anyone was expecting.

I handed Olli to Alistair, who was eyeing me skeptically, and let Esme continue to hold Elliot. From there, I stood up, which was _extremely _painful due to all the broken bones and torn muscles inside of me, and began slowly walking downstairs. Renée was begging me to stay, and Charlie even tried to make me.

I had to do this, though.

When Edward saw me, he was almost distracted enough that the big black wolf got him. He managed to shove him off, though, and into the far wall. His eyes were wide and livid.

Before I knew it, he was in front of me. "Get back upstairs. _Now_."

"This has to stop!" I exclaimed, something that stopped everyone dead in their tracks. I mean, literally. Everyone stopped trying to kill each other and just looked at me, eyes wide.

Edward turned towards the big black wolf with narrowed eyes. "No, Sam. We didn't break the treaty, not that turning Mayze _would _be breaking the treaty. She's still human. It's Bella . . . ."

Jacob surprised us all when he shifted back, but thankfully, he knew where some spare pants were, and he quickly put those on. "As true alpha, I command all of you to stand down and go home! You are not to harm those babies or anyone else in the Cullen family. I gave them permission to change Mayze, and the baby didn't mean to change Bella. I give it permission to make her a vampire."

Sam was growling, but like everyone else, he was hunched over and submitting. As he turned, his eyes were like daggers to me. Still, there was nothing he could do.

We . . . just won?

* * *

><p>There was no way it was that easy, but it was.<p>

Despite what everyone asked, I waited beside Bella. Actually, they all did anything and everything they could to get me out, but I wouldn't leave. The only thing that even made me flinch was when Edward reminded me my babies—_our _babies—would grow up without a mother.

And really, at the rate they were growing, I realized that they didn't need anything less than everything in the world. I mean, they still looked like babies, but they could've easily passed for a year old after just two days. That terrified me.

How long did they have to live?

Either way, I watched them grow practically right in front of my eyes. Eventually, Elliot figured out that biting was bad, so I got to where I could hold him. Sometimes, he would even cry if they didn't give him to me, so that made me happy.

As I watched these two grow up rapidly, I began to be amazed. These were _my _kids. They came out of _me_! Honestly, I never thought I would be a mother, never wanted to be, so the fact that I had them was mind boggling.

Maybe if I had had the normal nine months to get used to the idea, it wouldn't have been so hard to grasp. Still, I loved these two more than just about anything in the world.

I guess all three things were tied for first.

Elliot and Olli were immediately taken from the house the moment Bella showed signs of waking up. All humans and wolves—apart from Jacob and me, of course—left the house just to be on the safe side.

The only reason I was allowed to stay was because I didn't give them any other options.

When she opened her eyes, the bright red eyes shocked me. It was just as surprising as when Charlie was changed, and I saw his bright red eyes staring back at me.

She, to everyone's surprise, didn't even try to hurt me. As a matter of fact, she hugged me and didn't even show signs of losing control. She told me that she was happy, all things considered, and she couldn't wait for me to join her so that we could learn to be a vampire together. We all knew she would need more help and practice since she wasn't, you know, unable to smell blood like I would be, but I knew now that it would only be a matter of time before I turned.

Why _wouldn't _I want to help my sister through this any way possible, especially considering that it was my baby who turned her?

So that was that, and things started to get really good. It was a pain trying to graduate due to the fact that I missed so much school. I was really far behind, and no matter how tempting Edward's offer to let me cheat was, I had to do this on my own.

After all, it wouldn't be the same if I didn't. Sure, I would graduate many more times if we ever decided to enroll in school, but this was the first one, the one that counted.

It took every ounce of willpower to make myself study. With my adorable babies sitting around me, growing so fast, it was nearly impossible to make myself do it.

Yet I had to so that I could graduate and then turn, so I would be strong enough to protect them if anyone or anything tried to hurt them.

Speaking of Blade . . . .


	29. 29: House Fire

**hehe. took a bit longer than I thought. busy with the fourth and such. :) anyways, please review? reviews really help give me the critique I need, or they inspire me to not, you know, go months in-between reviews? :3 you're awesome for sticking with me this long. trust me, the epilogue gets INTENSE. :D which, btw, it's next. :D**

**what do you think about Mayze sticking up for herself? too cheesy? too freaking awesome? :D i just got sick of her having to depend on everyone else, ya know? i wanted her to show her inner badass. :)**

**review, please! :)**

* * *

><p>20. It's Time: Imagine Dragons<br>21. First Time: Lifehouse  
>22. Feels Like Tonight: Daughtry<br>23. Haunted: Taylor Swift  
>24. Gravity: Sara Bareilles<br>25. All About Us: He is We feat. Owl City  
>26. Keep Your Head Up: Andy Grammer<br>27. Not Gonna Die: Skillet  
>28. The Fight: The Classic Crime<strong><br>29. Fire Burning: Sean Kingston**

* * *

><p>With everything that had gone on, I couldn't feel safe anymore. He hadn't gotten his way, not entirely. All he did was allow Edward and me to start a family together. Still, I couldn't stop wondering when he would be back.<p>

While they were all out hunting, or too preoccupied with Olli and Elliot, or making sure Bella didn't slaughter the whole town, it gave me time to sneak off to my room. I was able to get in there and read it all over again to remind myself when he said he would be back.

As soon as I was alone . . . .

It would be nearly impossible to pull off, but I had to find a way to do it. Not only did I have to find a way, I had to find someone safe to watch Elliot. The less danger I put myself, but more importantly my children, in the best. Olli looked just like me with Edward's eyes. As much as I hated it, she would be the best one to show him that it wasn't his child. Elliot could've been mistaken as his child, with his brown hair and blue eyes.

I called up Tanya. She was actually about to call and see if we minded if they came down. In the back of my mind, I was actually squealing in delight.

Wonder who she was coming down to see . . . .

So, I made a huge weekend for everyone. The entire family, and all the pack who were constantly around, were going hunting. Karma, Oliver, and Sapphire were going to La Push to visit the pack. The Denalis were taking Elliot to Seattle until I called them and gave them the all clear.

No one really knew _why_. I just told them I needed the weekend to myself. Edward didn't even think about it and decided that, as much as he hated leaving us, Bella needed this, and she would do better if everyone was there. So, he asked Brady and Leah to watch me.

You have no idea how easy they were to convince otherwise. When I mentioned Oliver and Sapphire wanted to go out that night, they both immediately made plans. It was really cute, actually, and I was super happy that everyone had someone.

Brynk, Karma, and Alistair all went out, too. Karma begged me to come, claiming she would feel like a third wheel, but all I had to do was say, "Olli." Not another word was said about it, and she left with them.

Finally, I was alone with Olli. I would've been much happier with both of them, even Edward, around, but I had something I had to take care of. It was about time I did something for myself.

It was a really hard reality to accept. Sure, Blade _said _he wouldn't hurt me again, but would he? After all, he easily could, and there was no telling how he would react when he realized that not only was I still human, but the baby wasn't his. Well . . . bab_ies_, really, but he would never know that.

Anyways, I knew that I had to kill him. He needed to be out of our lives forever, and there was no guarantee he would be. As a matter of fact, he could try and kill Olli, so of course, I had to kill him. I had to be ready to do so.

That's why I rigged up one of the coolest contraptions ever. Well . . . a few, really. I knew that secretly, Jasper collected guns, especially older ones, but I didn't realize some of the guns he had. As a matter of fact, two caught my eye immediately.

One was a shotgun. One was a machine gun.

I spent the entire day rigging them up, researching all kinds of things. I needed to know _exactly _how thick and heavy a bullet needed to be in order to shoot right out of the machine gun, so I researched that and made _tons _of machine gun bullets out of wood. My hands were splintered and butchered to hell and back, but I had to protect my family. I couldn't be a threat anymore.

Everyone needed to know that I was a human force to be reckoned with, that I would kill whoever tried to hurt my babies.

So, anyways, the shotgun was pretty interesting too. I hadn't really shot any gun before, so when I wasn't researching bullets and such, I was practicing my shot. Olli hated it, and she even had a crying fit. But it had to be done.

By the time nightfall came, I was stocked up with wooden machine gun bullets and shotgun shells loaded up with silver bits and other hard sharp fragments that might blow his arm off.

Ultimately, though, it all came down to the flame. I was really worried about that, but I would do what was necessary.

I waited, and I waited. Honestly, I'm not sure what I was expecting, that he would just appear when I wanted him to, but I was prepared, nonetheless.

At two o'clock, I was exhausted, and Olli was just getting back to sleep after needing some blood for a midnight snack.

I wasn't _supposed _to do this, but I always let her have mine. Since my hands were already cut up, I just let her drink from there.

Like usual, I brushed my teeth, brushed my hair, changed into one of Edward's t-shirts that he never actually wore, and turned all the lights out. It was really strange to have the house all to myself, to have it so empty and quiet, but I knew it had to be done.

Never again, though . . . .

From downstairs, I could hear the loud wind blowing through the open bedroom window. I knew for a fact that it wasn't open when I came downstairs, so I very quickly began making my way up the stairs and into the room where Olli was laying.

Like I knew he would be, Blade was standing by her crib, looking down at her with a creepily adoring smile. His fingers were softly rubbing her cheeks, and she looked frightened, even in her sleep.

"She's beautiful," he told me, and for the first time, he looked like a normal person when he looked to me. "Don't worry, love. Her rapid growth will continue until she looks around seventeen or eighteen. Then she'll be that age forever." His smile was genuine, and it wasn't full of anything but love.

It made me feel only a _tiny _bit guilty about killing him, so instead of doing it immediately, I began slowly walking to where I had the guns sitting. "She really is."

"I'm surprised you're still human," he informed me, frowning a little. "Why is that?"

"You wanted me to be changed," I said simply, and anger flashed across his eyes immediately. "I didn't want you to get anything you wanted."

"You had my child," he pointed out, gesturing down to Olli.

Her eyes opened right about then, as if she just _knew _he needed to see her eyes, and I was smirking as his eyes widened. He was shaking, actually, as he stepped back, his lips trembling in fear.

"Wh-Wh-What?" he choked, eyes filling with venom tears.

That surprised me, but I didn't show any remorse as I very firmly pushed him back away from the crib. "How did you even know about any of this? That this was possible? The chemical needed to make me fertile?"

"I keep up with you better than you would imagine," he snarled. "And this is how you repay me? I gave you this gift, and you had _his _child?"

"I had no control over whose child it was," I snapped. "Even if it was yours, I would've had it. I would've loved it, forever. But it's not, and I'm proud to say that. All you did was Edward and me a favor. So thank you."

He slammed me back into the wall, yelling at the top of his lungs. "No!"

It took all of my strength, but I was able to shove him back—mostly because he wasn't expecting it, I think. While he was back, I kicked him right in the balls, and while he was on the ground, I picked up the machine gun and began unloading on him.

Olli was surprisingly quiet as he began screaming out in rage, and when I noticed the bullets only sticking in him, I pulled out the shotgun and began shooting at his limbs—specifically his shoulders so I could shoot his arms off.

It . . . worked. The combined machine gun and shotgun blew his arms off, and I threw the shotgun down while he let out a blood curdling cry of agony.

I then decided to shoot his neck. I shot until I had no bullets, and I continued again with the machine gun. There was nothing he could do anymore but look me right in the eyes right before I shot his head clean off.

I didn't hesitate to set his body on fire, and when I did, I grabbed Olli and rushed downstairs, where I had a lot of water and a fire blanket ready to put the fire out before it burned the entire house down.

Of course, I had no idea when that would be, so I decided to call someone who would know.

"Hello, love," Edward said cheerfully. "Having fun with your friends? Our children? I miss you all. We're coming back tomorrow."

"How long does a vampire's body have to burn before they're dead?" I asked immediately, completely ignoring what he said due to the fact that I couldn't just leave the fire burning very long. That would destroy the house.

He was completely silent for so long that someone else actually took the phone from him in order to answer me. "Mayze?"

"Carlisle," I said happily. "Blade's dead. His body is burning. How long does it have to burn? He's in my bedroom."

"How did this happen?"

"I was alone," I said honestly, clutching Olli close as she began crying a little. "He came by to see his child and found that it wasn't. So I killed him."

"How . . . how did you do that?" he asked quietly, voice shaky and full of disbelief.

"Wooden bullets for a machine gun, silver and random particles filled shotgun shells," I said dismissively. "Carlisle, the house is on fire unless I can put it out in time that doesn't leave him alive."

"He has to be burnt to ashes," he said firmly. "Mayze, grab Olli and Elliot and get out of there."

"Elliot's in Seattle with the Denalis," I informed him. "I didn't want Blade getting the wrong idea. Olli was dangerous enough . . . ."

It _really _surprised me when, out of nowhere, a hand collided with the back of my head. It wasn't a hard hit, but I knew it wasn't from a human being either.

Jared, in fact, was standing here, eyes full of rage and wearing nothing but athletic shorts.

I smiled sheepishly at him. "I'll take care of everything. You guys have fun. See you tomorrow!" Since I had no idea what he would say, I quickly hung up and tilted my head towards the bedroom. "There's a burning vampire. Mind helping me dispose of it another way before it burns the house down?"

He growled under his breath but very quickly rushed the huge bucket of water I had ready to go upstairs. "You're absolutely idiotic!"

"It was about time I did something for myself," I said back, and I actually stuck my tongue out at him. Then, all of my attention immediately snapped back to my little girl, who was now hugging onto me while she slept.

Seriously. This kid can sleep through anything.


	30. Epilogue: The Unlabeled Day

**the epilogue. :) i need some reviews (at least one, but preferably more?) before i put up the next segment of the series, Mended! :) it'll be the last one, but trust me. it won't fail to disappoint. then, the follow up series? hopefully it'll be even more epic than this one. my vision of it is anyways...:3**

**review, please! :)**

* * *

><p><strong>E. My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark (Light 'Em Up): Fall Out Boy<strong>

* * *

><p>You better believe I was in <em>big <em>trouble. Edward, Emmett, Rose, and Jasper all came home early. Alice, Carlisle, Esme, and Charlie stayed with Bella to help her finish filling up.

The Denalis got here about the same time Edward and the others did, so there was lots of confusion and chaos. I ignored it all and just sat on the couch, holding both of my babies close to me and thinking of all the pluses.

Blade knew I could get pregnant, so he must've met half-vampires. Therefore, he knew what he was talking about when he said they would live forever!

Edward was the first to break through my bliss. "You endangered our daughter's life! Are you out of your mind?"

"I knew what I was doing," I said lightly, giving him a happy smile. "Don't you see? Our problems are over! They'll grow to look around seventeen or eighteen, and then they'll be immortal! Just like us!"

Rose actually squealed, and before I could even blink, she had Olli in her arms holding her close. "Forever?!"

"Forever!" I squeaked, and I stood up so that I could actually look into Edward's melting emerald eyes. It made me giggle. "Come on, baby. Don't be mad. I wasn't gonna let anything happen to Olli, even if it meant letting him change me."

"I'm more curious how you even managed," Emmett began laughing madly. "Kick him in the nuts and set him on fire?"

I smirked. "Shot his arms and head off after kicking him in the nuts. Then set him on fire."

Emmett and Jasper both began going crazy in excitement. Laurent even pitched in while Eleazar, Carmen, and Tanya looked confused.

Kate, on the other hand, giggled. "I see someone has an inner badass."

I smiled sheepishly. "Probably just my motherly instincts to protect my babies."

"Elliot is probably the cutest and sweetest child I've ever met," Tanya informed me with a squeal. "Can I see Olli? I haven't gotten to hold the beautiful angel."

Rose very reluctantly handed her over and then tried to get Elliot, but I wasn't letting go.

Edward calmed down after that, and he took Olli from Tanya after a few minutes. Honestly, I think he was already playing favorites with his little daddy's girl. He had a way of making her giggle and excited that was . . . absolutely amazing.

Elliot was just happy to be alive. No matter who he was with, he was happy, and he loved making everyone else happy. Somehow, he just did.

Well, the weekend ended, and I went back to school again. It was the week before finals, so, you know, things were pretty hectic and crazy.

The day that really sucked for me was the day that it was sunny. Edward and Alice got to stay home with Olli and Elliot, sending me all kinds of pictures of their cuteness, and I had to be stuck in school, trying my hardest to be prepared for the exams next week.

Honestly, the best part of my day, besides all the cute pictures of my children, was the text I got from Embry after lunch.

_So . . . I've been trying to figure out how to tell you this, but I thought I'd give it a go. I was walking through Forks yesterday with Seth. We were looking for something to get your kids, and then I ran into this girl. Absolutely beautiful. I imprinted on her. I want you to come meet her. We're having dinner tonight at Emily's. Sam promised to be nice, and he even asked that you bring the kids. (:_

Dinner plans it was.

Anyways, when the day finally ended, I was ready to bolt home, see my babies, spend some time with my husband, and then go to dinner with the pack and Embry's imprint! You better believe that I was freaking excited.

Unfortunately, I didn't even get to leave my locker before I heard someone behind me scoff.

I turned to face Jessica with a forced smile. "What brings you the displeasure of being at my locker?"

"Where's your sister?" she asked tightly.

"Sick," I responded immediately, giving it no thought. "Apparently I gave her my sickness. She's rough."

"Wonder why you got married so early," she pondered thoughtfully with a bitter and sarcastic smile. "Couldn't be because you're pregnant and are trying to hide it, could it?"

I glared at her but kept my smile. "Alright, lemme tell you something. I'm _not _pregnant. Do I honestly look pregnant?"

"Hmm, let me think," she said sarcastically before shoving me back. "Yeah. You sure as hell have the ass and boobs to hide it, though, if you wear t-shirts all the time."

I shoved her back, but it was really hard to restrain myself considering that it couldn't be too forcefully without her thinking something was up. She slammed into the lockers, though, and I couldn't help but smile, despite the fact that I probably hurt her pretty bad.

"Actually, in case you were wondering, I've always been like this. And, first of all, I'm not fat. I know that. Secondly, I got married because I wanted to, and I didn't wanna wait. And, finally, you're just mad because I got something you never did, someone who didn't want a slutty, ugly bitch like you."

She gasped before punching me, full force in the nose. Oh yeah. Damn. Something I forgot wasn't quite numb yet. "Shut up, you stupid little whore! Marriages based on sex don't last long!"

I grit my teeth as I snorted the blood from my broken and bleeding nose into the trash can beside the teacher's lounge. After that, I kicked her, full-force in the stomach, which sent her clutching her stomach and coughing, a lot. She wasn't bleeding internally because I didn't kick her that hard, but she was in some pain. Period cramp pain, maybe?

"Hmm," I said thoughtfully. "You're probably right. But, since mine isn't, I guess I'm good."

"Mayze, just back off, okay?" Mike said sternly as he came and pushed me gently away.

I nodded before rolling my eyes. "Yeah, okay. I'll back off when your bitch of a girlfriend leaves me the hell alone and lets me go home."

"That's it," Jessica said loudly as she stood up. She literally ran and tackled me to the floor. It was actually a pretty sweet tackle, but I knew how to bring us both down while hurting her, too. So, I was laughing as she ended up hitting her head against the floor. It didn't hurt me because my skull was numb, but she wasn't fortunate enough to say the same thing.

She rolled over to where she was on top, and she jumped up, before I could register what she was doing. She stomped her foot on my bad leg, the left one, and I heard the bone crunch, which was really odd.

And man, oh, man did it hurt like hell!

I gasped in pain as I stood up. My world was really heated, which is how I react to pain intense and horrible like this, but not quite as bad as the Katharine pain. It wasn't anywhere close to the Blade pain . . . .

You know things are weird when you're referring to two different vampire attacks for pain measurements.

I grit my teeth as I shook my head slowly. "You really did _not _wanna do that."

She smirked before crossing her arms. "Aw. What are you gonna do? Tell your hubby? Guess what. He went camping without you. He'll bring back some better looking whore, don't worry."

A hiss built up and slid through my teeth as I punched her in the jaw. It took all I had not to go full-force, but I dislocated it, definitely. Then, I stomped on her right foot, which caused it to snap.

I smirked at her as she gasped and then sucked in a breath of pain. "Have fun with that gossip now, and have fun walking across the stage."

Her eyes shot wide open as I spun on my heels, and I heard her snap her jaw back into place. It was a sound that made anyone shudder, even if you've heard it a million times. "You're gonna pay for this!"

"Look at me, you bitch!" I screamed as I turned to face her. "I've gotta broken nose and a broken leg!"

She just smirked at me . . . until I reared back and punched _her_ in the nose, causing it to break worse than mine did.

"Now we're even," I said darkly, my eyes tightening as I stepped closer to her. "And, if you say one more word about Edward and me, or about the fact that I'm married before I'm eighteen, not even outta high school, I won't hold back, got it?"

"You weren't holding back," she spat before pushing me back, into the lockers. I hadn't noticed before, but people were gathered around, chanting for us to keep up the fight. "He's just good looks anyways. He's really weird. And, well, I guess whores just run in your family, huh?"

I froze, completely, as my fists clenched and my jaw locked. "Oh no you didn't just say what I think you did."

"Actually," she disagreed. "I did."

I shoved her into the lockers, where she fell on the ground. I heard her arm snap as she hit the locker, and it was all I could do not to wring her fragile neck. "Say whatever you want about me, but when you talk about my family and my husband, you better be prepared to suffer me not holding back."

"Mayze, stop this," Angela said desperately as she very quickly shoved her way through the crowd. "You don't wanna do anything that—"

"Miss Swan, or, should I say, Mrs. Cullen," the principal said tightly, surprising everyone with his sudden appearance. He looked over at Jessica. "And Jessica. What are you two doing out here? Is this a fight I see?"

Jessica stood up as she glared at me. Neither one of us said anything, but the looks we were giving each other were enough to kill anyone who got in-between us.

"Everyone, go home," he said as he looked at the crowd. "Except you three."

"Sir, Angela had nothing to do with this," I said firmly as I looked straight into his eyes. "She was trying to stop it."

"You can go, Angela," he said lightly.

Angela's eyes looked pained as she looked at me. "Mayze, Bella's gonna kill you."

"I'll be fine," I assured her with a tiny smile. "It's not Bella I've gotta worry about, now is it?"

She pursed her lips and grinned sheepishly at me. "Guess not. Let me change that. _Edward's_ gonna kill you."

I just laughed before looking at Principal Franklin straight in the eye. "Alright. How bad is it?"

"You two have one more week before exams," he said firmly, seeming a little miffed. "I'm letting you off easy, if you both don't feel like pursuing this legally. I don't want to catch you fighting again, though. With graduation just two weeks away, you'd hate to get something like this added to your record."

I nodded. "Yes sir. Thank you."

Jessica gaped after me as she walked, as swiftly as she could, after me. "Whoa. How did you do that?"

I turned to face her with a blank expression. "I don't know what you're talking about. But, I swear. If you run your mouth one more time like that, I don't care what gets put on my record. I will kick your ass. I don't care what you say about me, but you start talking about Edward and Bella? That's when I have a problem, okay? I've really gotta go."

She looked down and nodded. "Wait! Mayze, I . . . I'm sorry. I know what you did, though. You controlled his mind by looking into his eyes. I've heard it called compulsion."

My eyes slightly widened. "No . . . I don't know what you're talking about." _ One worded lies, you idiot! One word!_

She smiled up at me then. "I may not have liked you before, but what you just did changed that. You're a horrible liar, Mayze. You could've easily made it to where I got in trouble for starting the fight, but you didn't. So, I've got a confession to make, along with my apology. I really hope you can forgive me."

I had no idea what was happening, but somehow, she made me wonder if I had that special vampire look, the one that erased memories, compelled people to do what the vampire wanted . . . it made me wonder if I was getting that, too, already.

"What's your confession?"

"I know what the Cullens are," she whispered, her eyes quickly moving behind me. "I'm guessing you're becoming one, too? And is that where Bella _really _is?"

"How do you know this?" I asked quickly, my eyes wide. "Wait. I mean—"

"Save it," she interrupted as another smile spread across her lips. "It was like taking candy from a baby. Did Embry seriously not tell you?"

"Tell me what?" I asked slowly.

She had a very bright smile. "He imprinted on me. Me and Mike aren't dating. I broke up with him a week ago, and he's been really clingy ever since. But, I mean, nothing's official, but I'm going to dinner to meet everyone tonight. The whole pack."

My eyes shot wide open, and I'm sure my jaw dropped some, too. Really?! Jessica Freaking Stanley?! Did it have to be her?!

Well . . . maybe this could work. She seemed a bit more pleasant . . . .

That's what I held onto, and I was able to genuinely smile at her. There was a side to her I didn't know, and now I would get to meet her. "Well, then. Welcome to the very weird, but yet insanely fun and awesome, family. You've got a lot of surprises in for you."

She actually smiled. "Thanks. You're . . . something different, Mayze. You . . . you should hate me. Tell me to fuck off. Tattle to Embry. Why don't you?"

"Well, he's already gonna find out when we're in boots and crutches tonight," I reminded her, giving her a sheepish smile. "But it doesn't matter. What matters is we're moving past it. He's my best friend, so we kinda have to get along."

"Um . . . I know this may seem very odd . . . but can you help me figure out what to wear tonight?" she asked curiously, eyebrows raising in hope. "I have no idea, and I'm freaking out about it."

"I can," I agreed brightly. "You'll have to come to my house. Lots to explain . . . but I really need to get home as soon as possible."

"Uh, yeah," she nodded. "I don't have clothes, though."

"I have tons of stuff I won't ever wear that you probably would," I informed her. "Alice's hopes to make me, you know, her little Barbie."

Jessica let out a breath. "I would love to be Alice's Barbie! She has the _best _fashion sense."

That made me laugh. "Oh, say that in front of Alice, and you will be. Come on. We can ride in my car, come get yours later."

"Okay," she agreed, voice chipper. "Sounds like a plan."

What in the heck is going on? I'm leaving school with Jessica Stanley to help her pick an outfit for the pack supper tonight?

She's coming to my house! We're going to be friends!

This was all too weird for me, but with each other's help, we managed to wobble outside.

Neither one of us even noticed when one of the stupid boys went racing around the corner, racing his friend. We didn't notice until he slammed on his breaks but rammed into us anyways.

Our bodies went flying, but I knew how this worked. Jessica was _far _more fragile than I was, so despite the sharp pain, the _agonizing _pain I felt all over my body from being, you know, ran over, I managed to pull her against me and sort of cushion her fall. Her head still slammed into the concrete, just like mine did, but she was breathing.

Sort of . . . .

Everything was blurry, but I could feel the blood running down my face. I could hear the loud ringing overpowering all the frantic voices around us. I could see Jessica coughing up blood, choking for help.

Something shifted inside of me, and I started screaming. It wasn't because of what was happening to her, because of the pain I was in, because I wasn't.

I no longer felt a thing.


End file.
